Family
by AngolMoaChan
Summary: Time has passed, and Naruto is at the age of seventeen. He's still parentless...but that's about to change. The Akatsuki is still on the rise, and they seem to be missing someone...who could it be? And how does he tie into Naruto's fate? NaruHina
1. Beginning

Family

AngolMoaChan

**I honestly swear I don't have an obsession with Yondaime. (huggles homemade plushie) XD This is a NaruHina fic, obviously. There is an OC in this fic ((GASP! SINCE WHEN DOES AMC WRITE OC'S?!)) but she was a necessity. I needed a character for Naruto's mother, and after reading the WONDERFUL fic **_**Two Halves**_**, I used the name "Nanashi" and started developing her into my own character.**

**I've created a monster. Oo**

**Naruto doesn't belong to me. If it did, Yondaime would still be alive, and Naruto would have a family. :3 Thus, the fanfiction! XDDDD**

**--**

There was a soft thump near the grounds of the obelisk of a memorial set in Konoha, as a slim figure landed on the grass nearby. Slowly, the person walked towards the memorial and stood in front of it, running slim fingers over two names, tracing the kanji with their hands. The person, who was quite obviously a female, sighed softly, a bare breath on the cool morning air. Then she disappeared, leaping off into the morning's first light.

She didn't notice the man that had been standing behind her the entire time. Slowly, he stepped forward, the charms on his straw hat jingling in the breeze. He looked to where her hand had rested and gave a wistful smile, "I'm glad you still remember me...but they think you're dead too..."

_'Arashi and Nanashi Uzumaki.' _read the obelisk, still warm where their fingers had brushed the black stone.

--

"Tsunade-baachan!" Naruto banged into the Fifth's office, his rather loud and obnoxious attitude waking the Godaime from her "well deserved" nap, "Mission! I want a mission!"

Tsunade growled, "How many times have I told you not to call me that?!"

"Sorry..."

She sighed and shook her head, "Blah...I was supposed to give you a mission today...Oh!" A small smile appeared on her face as she pulled out a plain white scroll and read the contents, "Here we are. You're to meet someone at the gates and escort them here. Do you understand?"

"Escorting?! Oh _come on! _" he groaned, "That's so boring!"

"You said you wanted a mission! And besides, you can take your partner with you." Tsunade studied the blonde jonin's face. He brightened up considerably at the mention of the word "partner", "Okay?"

"Yatta! Alright Tsunade-baachan!" he grinned and headed out of the door, nearly bouncing. Tsunade sighed and rifled the papers in her hands, flipping through to Naruto's ninja profile. Listed in small, neat letters underneath his picture was _"Give him the mission at the age of 17." _

"I hope you're happy with me, you pain-in-the-ass." She tossed down the papers and muttered, "I want a drink."

--

Naruto raced to a large estate near the corner of town. He ran backwards a few steps as he reached the tall gate to the house, before gathering chakra in his legs and springing over the top. Naruto grinned with delight as he soared over the elegantly designed gates only to squeak in horror as he realized what was underneath him.

He landed on his behind with a painful thud and Neji Hyuga sighed, "Naruto, do you _have_ to leap the gate every time you come here?"

"Yes." he jumped back up and saluted, attempting to look serious and failing spectacularly, "I'm supposed to go with my partner for my mission, Neji Hyuga sir!"

Suddenly, Naruto heard a quiet giggle from the other side of the house. Perking up immediately, he ran towards the sound and shouted, "Aha! Found you!"

Hinata Hyuga squeaked faintly and tried to conceal her laughter, "Naruto-kun!"

"Hey, Hinata-chan! We got a mission! Come on, come on, let's go!"

Hinata smiled. _Hinata chan. I'll never get tired of him calling me that..._, "O-okay, Naruto-kun."

Neji watched wistfully as Naruto led his cousin out of the door, babbling incessantly all the way, '_He's really done a lot for Hinata-sama...ever since Tsunade-sama assigned us all partners..."_

---

Naruto walked towards the gate with a big grin on his face, "Ne, Hinata-chan, that chakra control stuff you were helping me work on is _so_ much easier now! Thank you!"

Hinata blushed faintly, "I-it was nothing Naruto-kun...S-so, who are we e-escorting?"

"I dunno. Tsunade-baachan just said the person would be waiting for us."

"O-oh, alright..."

A quiet silence fell over the two, each lost in their own thoughts. Soon, the two of them reached the gates and Naruto waved to the guard, "Oi! We're supposed to be escorting someone?"

The guard nodded: he stepped aside, "Over here."

The two approached and noticed a woman standing beside the man. She looked at him in utter shock, "An escort?! Why the hell would I need an escort?!"

"Sorry, ma'am, it's regulation...Tsunade-sama requested it."

"That old grandma? Bah!" The woman crossed her arms as Naruto and Hinata moved closer to get a better look, "Well, they better be good escor...eh?"

"Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga, at your service!" Naruto flashed his usual grin when his eyes met the girls.

She had the same bright blonde hair as him, only it fell down to her waist in long strips. She wore the rest of her hair in buns, a lot like Tenten, and had the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen, outside of his own.

The most noticeable marks on her, however, were the whisker marks, three on each side of her face.

"Kami-sama..." the woman stared at Naruto, her blue eyes wide. She stepped towards him cautiously and whispered, "You can't be...Naruto...?"

He blinked and tried to study her, even though his mind was racing with a million questions at once. Just as he was trying to answer those questions (or get some answers from that damn fox), she hugged him, "Oof! What the--?!"

_**'Kid...'**_

Naruto heard Kyuubi's nearly awestruck voice and asked , '_What?! What's going on?!"_

_**...Kid, that's your mother.'**_

Naruto stared.

Then stared some more.

Then blinked and asked slowly, "...Kaa-san...?"

She looked up, tears streaming down her whiskered cheeks, "Nanashi Uzumaki." the woman laughed slightly, " I guess the Kyuubi probably remembers me..."

Naruto's eyebrow's furrowed and he yelled, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

Nanashi held her arm, looking to the side, "…"

"MY WHOLE LIFE I WAS TREATED LIKE TRASH AND YOU JUST DECIDE TO WALK INTO MY LIFE _NOW?! _WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"

She stomped up to him and grabbed his collar, pulling him down to her level, "Now you listen to me Naruto Uzumaki and you listen to me _good! _You have no right to talk to your own mother like that, no right! You talk about hell. You wanna talk about hell?! I've spent the past _seventeen _years thinking you were _dead!_ Imagine having everything you have ever loved taken away from you, like that!" she snapped her fingers in his face once, "One night and my life was _ruined!_ My husband and my son were dead, my parents hated me and, oh yeah, I was still in the god damn _hospital!_ I've spent—"

Nanashi began poking him in the chest and he stepped backwards. Poke, step, poke, step with every word of her sentence, "—se-ven-teen _years _looking for answers, I finally find you, and you get pissed off?! I will _not _be dealing with that. Do you understand me?"

This display seemed to have numbed Naruto a bit- he was getting _lectured, _and by a woman nearly a foot shorter than him. It was, in his experience as a shinobi, the scariest thing he had ever seen. He nodded and she growled, "Good! I realize you've probably been treated like crap your whole life. And…"

Nanashi's tone softened as she brushed a hand against his cheek, "We didn't want that for you, Naruto. It was not our choice to have you possessed by Kyuubi…we wanted you to be our son, to let you have the life you so deserved. None of us got what we wanted. Arashi's dead, I left, and you…Kami, I can't even describe it. Look. We're here now. It's just me and you, but…"

Naruto interrupted, "Kaa-san?"

"What is it?"

"Are you…crying?"

She gasped and hurriedly wiped her eyes, "I am not crying, god dammit!"

He laughed and scratched the back of his head, "…Uh…Kaa-san? I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, yeah, you better be." Nanashi hugged him and Naruto tentatively hugged her back, "…Just consider yourself lucky you got Arashi's looks."

Hinata laughed quietly as Naruto protested loudly. She had been briefed on this mission nearly a month ago…

-xx-

_"Hinata-san, I want you to go with Naruto on this mission." Tsunade said seriously, watching the pretty indigo haired girl's reactions carefully, "Listen...About a month from now, I will send you both on an escort mission...You will be escorting Naruto's mother."_

_"His m-mother?" she looked mildly surprised, her white eyes wide in wonder, "But I th-thought Naruto-kun w-was an o-orphan."_

_"He was. But...well, we don't have time to tell their life story. Anyway, she was a former student of mine, a long time ago. She's going to visit Konoha just this one day to pay her respects to her husband's grave."_

_"I understand, Tsunade-sama."_

_"And Hinata? You're going to have to be the stone pillar in this operation."_

_"W-what? What d-do you mean?"_

_"I have a small surprise for her as well. Just...be ready for some very emotional moments, okay?"_

_"Ano, of c-course, Tsunade-sama." with that said, Hinata disappeared._

_-xx-_

Now, watching the mother and son embrace for the first time, Hinata was content to settle back and watch the event unfold. Suddenly, Naruto snapped away from his mother and growled lowly under his breath, "...Shit."

"Naru-chan? What's...?"

Naruto didn't even let Nanashi finish her sentence: he jumped protectively in front of the two women, "You!"

There was a soft jingling noise as a breeze blew across the gate. A figure stood before them, wearing a black capelike jacket covered in red clouds. His face was obscured by a large straw hat, "...Hello."

"Dammit." Naruto cursed softly under his breath, "Akatsuki."

--

**Next time on "Family"...**

_**"I can't believe this! The leader of the Akatsuki dare show his face in Konoha!" Naruto growled, "You bastard!"**_

_**Nanashi muttered in a dead even tone, her voice seething with poison, "Naruto. Move. Now. He's mine."**_

_**--**_

**Are you getting a fight scene? Hmm...you'll just have to wait and see:3**

**Playlist: "Naruto Ondo" by Naruto and Sakura**

**"Collide" by Howie Day**


	2. Nanashi Arrives

Family

AngolMoaChan

**Chapter 2 is here! Yatta:D **

**Naruto obviously doesn't belong to me. If it did, there would be many cute pink haired Uchiha babies running around. XDDD (SasuSaku squee:3)**

**To set the tone for this chapter, or hell, this whole story, I recommend listening to Vic Micnogna's version of "Bratjas" from FullMetal Alchemist. PM me if you need/want the lyrics. :3**

--

"You...you're the leader, aren't you?!" Naruto accused, pointing at the man in black.

"You could say that." the man replied. His tone of voice seemed easy and relaxed, like someone talking to an old friend, "It depends on how you see things. I suppose I was a leader once..."

"I can't believe the leader of the Akatsuki would show his face in Konoha!" Naruto growled, "You are so dead!"

Just as he was going to race forward to attack the black robed man, a hand fell on his shoulder. Naruto looked back and saw Nanashi, her expression hidden by her golden bangs, "Kaa-san...?"

"Naruto. Move. He's mine." she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. Naruto hurriedly complied, seeing the near devilish look in her blue eyes. Nanashi stomped up to the man and stood inches from his face.

The man's tone seemed to soften, "You're..."

Suddenly, Nanashi slapped him across the face, slinging chakra into her palm and hitting him full force. The man stumbled backwards a little, obviously a bit surprised. Then she grabbed him by the collar and kissed him.

Naruto blinked, "What the...?"

Nanashi reached up and yanked off the straw hat with a jingle of bells, then hugged him as tightly as she could, "Welcome home, you jerk."

"Hinata-chan? What just happened...?"

Hinata shook her head, staring at them in shock, "I-I have n-no idea..."

The man laughed and scratched the back of his blonde head in a gesture very reminiscent of Naruto, "That hurt, you know."

"Yeah, well, you deserved it!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, "Seventeen years and not a single message!"

Naruto shouted suddenly, as the pictures and stories he had been told as a child connected, "AH! YOU'RE THE--"

The man's blue eyes crinkled into a smile, "The Yondaime Hokage. Yes." Sure enough, the man's bright blonde hair and blue eyes were easily recognizable by anyone that had seen his picture--he was the Fourth alright, right down to the trademark grin stretching across his face, "Although I think most people just call me Arashi."

"I...I..." Naruto gulped. Here he was, face to face with his hero, the greatest Hokage that Konoha had ever known. Needless to say, it was very hard for him to get out what he wanted to say, "Uh..."

Arashi walked over to him and held out his hand, "Most people do call me Arashi, but..._you..._you can call me Otou-san."

Otou-san.

Father.

Naruto's eyes watered and he immediately shook his hand, only to have Nanashi jump in between them and hug them both, "Naru-chan! Arashi-kun!"

"Kaa-san..."

She laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks, "You're both alive! I can hardly believe this!"

"Nana-chan! Choking!" Arashi gasped and Nanashi quickly let go, blushing, "Phew...Alright then. Naru-chan, I need you take us to the Godaime. Okay?"

"Sure!" he smiled and pointed to Hinata, "Oh, before I forget! Kaa-san, Tou-san, this is Hinata Hyuga. She's my training partner."

Nanashi walked in a circle around Hinata, inspecting the girl carefully. Hinata blushed and started tapping her fingers together, an old habit that never seemed to go away, "A-ano..."

"Naru-chan..." she trailed off and suddenly clapped her hands together, an expression of delight painting her whiskered cheeks, "She's so CUTE!"

"Kaa-san...?"

Nanashi giggled and hugged Hinata, causing her to squeak in shock, "She's perfect girlfriend material, Naru-chan!"

"..." Naruto was silent for a moment as he confirmed what Nanashi had just said.

_Girlfriend..._

_Girlfriend..._, "WHAT?!" he blushed bright red, rivaling the cheeks of his partner, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Aww, never mind. You don't get it anyway." she ran a hand through her blonde hair and laughed, "Come on, let's go already! I wanna see Tsunade-sensei."

"Uh..alright..." Naruto blinked, "This way, I guess..."

Throughout the walk towards the Hokage's tower, Naruto, for once in his life, was completely silent. Girlfriend material...? What was _that_ supposed to mean? '_Well...what do I like about Sakura-chan?'_ In his mind, he drew up a picture of the pink haired kunoichi and then one of his training partner.

'_I like her hair...' he_ pondered, then shook his head a little. No. Hinata's was much prettier and less...well, less pink. Besides, he had always liked long hair on girls. Now that he was really thinking about it, Naruto distinctly remembered mentioning that to Hinata one day...then he left for two and half years, came back and boom, her hair was long. Huh. Interesting.

_'Her eyes?' _ Wrong again. Green was pretty, but Hinata's were white, such a rare color, and he was probably one of very few people who noticed that the Hyuga eyes were actually tinged with pale purple. He liked purple. A lot. Hmm...

'_Her smile? Her figure?' _ No...that wasn't it...Hinata's smile was very pretty, whenever she smiled at him at least...and her figure? No...Sakura was as flat as a board anyway, and Hinata was--

'_NO! NO BAD THOUGHTS! BAD NARUTO! Back to Sakura-chan! Hmm...she hits me a lot...'_ Suddenly Naruto stopped walking.

Shit.

He didn't like Sakura. He tried to think more about the way she acted around Sasuke. She was always blushing...

'_Like Hinata-chan does around me...?' _ Hmm...he would have to look into this further. Naruto looked back and noticed the way Nanashi was giggling and smiling at Arashi, who had an arm casually slung around her waist. He realized that he wanted that. He wanted someone who would stand by his side all the time, someone to love him and care for him and slap him when he deserved it.

That girl was standing right beside him, always had been, and he was just now starting to realize it.

Problem was, he had no idea how to tell her.

--

"TSUNADE-BAACHAN!"

Tsunade sighed. She hated that name more and more every second, "Nanashi. You don't need to shout."

Nanashi grinned as the door slammed open, "Hey, baa-chan! How're you doing?"

"…I was doing fine until you started calling me baa-chan, Nanashi-chan." She sighed and sat back in her chair, "Welcome back to Konoha, you pain-in-the-ass."

"Oh! We have to talk!" she slammed a hand down on Tsunade's desk, looking (somewhat) serious, "Just how long have you known that Arashi-kun and Naru-chan were alive? And why didn't you tell me?"

"I came into contact with Arashi-sama by complete accident, and as for the annoyance you call your son, about five years. I've spent half of that time chasing after _you_. "

"…Oh." Nanashi blinked, seeming to settle down slightly: Tsunade's explanation seemed logical enough.

"OI! TSUNADE-BAACHAN! How come you didn't tell me Kaa-san and Tou-san were alive?!" Naruto demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting.

"Arashi-sama told me not to tell _anyone._" Tsunade resisted the urge to laugh at the expressions on Nanashi and Naruto's faces--they were exactly the same, down to the childish pout. She looked over at him and he smiled sheepishly, "I think you three need to sit down and "catch up". Hinata-chan, you can leave if you wish"

She shook her head, "U-um, I'd l-like to stay with Naruto-kun…"

Tsunade smiled. _Crush the size of the Fire Country there…I wonder how long it's going to take for him to notice…_ "Arashi-sama, Nanashi-chan, why don't you show Naruto your old house?"

"Oh! That's a good idea!" Nanashi exclaimed. She grabbed Naruto and Hinata's hands and tugged them out the door, ignoring Naruto's protests, "Bye Tsunade-baachan! Good to see you again! Come on Arashi-kun!"

He gave Tsunade a small smile, "Sorry…"

"Hey, she's your wife. Go on and catch up. After that, you should come back here, and bring Naruto with you all right? I have some news for him as well."

"Alright. Good to see you again, Tsunade-san." Arashi waved once and exited the room.

--

"Okay Naru-chan! Prepare to be amazed!" Nanashi smiled as they arrived at the stone faces.

"I'm preparing." He crossed his arms skeptically and Hinata giggled softly. _Aww, she's so cute when she laughs…and she's laughing at my joke! Ha. I am awesome. _Naruto grinned to himself and looked over at Arashi. He was making a few rapid hand signs, "Tou-san…?"

"Kai!" he muttered and a small passageway appeared, leading to a set of stairs. He grinned and held out a hand, "After you, Nana-chan."

She giggled and headed up the stairs, "Ever the gentleman. Come on, you two!"

"Coming!" Naruto followed, craning his neck in awe at the giant set of stairs. They led all the way up and around the stone faces, built inside the rock. He looked back at Hinata, who looked just as amazed as him, "Hinata-chan...?"

"Oh! C-coming!" Hinata blushed and followed him, keeping her head down in embarrassment. Naruto frowned pensively, watching her nervous gestures. _She's really weird...even though she's cute...I could probably get past the weird shy-ness and..._ He shook his head, frantically trying to erase those thoughts. _She's. Your. Partner. Stop it._

"We're here!" Arashi opened a large door at the top of the steps and held it.

"...Whoa." Naruto's eyes widened like saucer plates as he took in the magnificent sight. They were back outside, only they were _behind _the stone faces, and in a very large garden. The garden led to a sprawling estate that seemed to go for miles, and was backed to a small hot spring. He and Hinata stared in awe at the mansion-like abode and Naruto exclaimed, "You mean I _lived _here?!"

"Until Kyuubi, yes. So, for about three days, this was your home." Nanashi twirled around in a circle on the pathway, "Ahh, I haven't been home in forever!" She waltzed over to Arashi and winked, "Ne, ne, me and you and the hot spring tonight?"

He laughed, "Whatever makes you happy, Nana-chan."

"Alright! Come on Naru-chan! I'll show you guys where you'll be staying!" she grinned evilly, "I hope you two don't mind sharing."

"Sh... sh... sharing?" they both stammered, blushing deep red.

"Aww, don't worry! There'll be more than one bed!" Nanashi laughed, "Come on, it's this way."

Naruto exchanged a glance with Hinata and quickly looked away, totally flustered. _Great...Staying together. Just what I need...I can barely keep my eyes off of her and it sure as hell isn't going to help if we're sharing a room! _He followed Nanashi through the complex and they reached a large room that backed nicely to the beautiful garden. There were two futons side by side, as well as a few other amenities, "So this is it?"

"Yup! Make yourselves at home. And Naru-chan, why don't you come with me? Arashi-kun wanted to talk to you." she smiled, "I'll get started on dinner." 

"Uh, sure." Naruto set down his bag and followed Nanashi downstairs. The two headed into the kitchen and Nanashi smiled, "He's all yours, Arashi-kun"

"Thanks, Nana-chan." Arashi leaned over and pecked her cheek, then smiled at Naruto, "Alright, Naru-chan, I'm sure you've got lots of questions."

"Yup." he sat on top of the counter and asked, "Why did you fake your death?"

"When Kyuubi attacked, the Akatsuki had just started to form and I had taken down their leader. This was all done in secret: and in order for the members of the group to believe that I was really the leader and not me, I had to fake my own death and not tell anyone." he sighed, looking down at the ground, "It was a hard decision."

Naruto rested a hand on his stomach, where Kyuubi's seal was inscribed, "Why did you seal Kyuubi in me?"

Arashi smiled fondly, "I wanted you to be loved, even if your family was gone. I knew that Nanashi would leave Konoha if I "died" there, because I knew she would think you were dead as well. I wanted you to be a hero, Naruto, and I knew someday you would use Kyuubi to be great." he reached over and ruffled Naruto's hair, "You lived up to that, just like I knew you would."

"Tou-san..."

"Which reminds me, I heard you had to train with Jiraiya-sensei. How was that?"

Naruto made a face, "That old pervert. He taught me a lot, I guess...so wait, he knew that entire time that you were my tou-san and he didn't tell me?!"

Arashi laughed, "He sure did. I'm amazed he managed to keep it secret for so long. Hs tongue tends to get loose when he's drinking."

"No kidding..."

"Naru-chan! Arashi-kun! Dinner!" Nanashi called from the other room, "I made ramen!"

"Ramen?" both men immediately perked up and raced towards the sitting room, cheering in delight.

**OooooO**

Dinner passed uneventfully, and soon both Naruto and Hinata headed to their room to turn in for the night. The second they left, Nanashi crawled into Arashi's lap and rested her head against his chest, "I missed you."

"As did I." he smiled and kissed her brow gently, "Did you notice the sparks between those two?"

"Naru-chan and Hinata-chan?" she asked and he nodded to confirm, "Yup. It seems like it's obvious to everyone except them."

"Just like it was for you and me, right?"

Nanashi laughed, "Except you were the shy one. We have to get them together."

"I agree." he nodded, "How are we supposed to do that though?"

"Well...I have a plan..." she leaned up to whisper in his ear and Arashi smirked as she finished, "Do you think that will work?"

"I know it will." He smiled and asked, "So, about that hot spring you mentioned…"

Nanashi scrambled up, clearly excited "Let's go!"

--

**Don't mind the insertion of the NanashixArashi fluff. That was my personal gift to myself for writing so much. :3 I'm gonna try to answer any questions you have at the end of each chapter, so ask away! **

**Q and A...**

**Q: Nanashi in five words?**

**A: Prankster. Hyper. Brave. Never quiet. (XD Can you tell where most of Naruto's persona came from?)**

**Q: NaruHina fluff? Soon?**

**A: I will! I promise! DX **

**Q: Need a beta?**

**A: OH GOD YES. This computer doesn't have spellcheck and I desperately need one...Oo**

**Next time on "Family...**

_**"Me and Nana-chan are going to be training you two for a little while. Your first exercise is to find away to get this bell from me..." **_

_**"And this bell from me." Nanashi held up the matching bell, "You may work together or apart and...oh yeah, no ninjutsu allowed."**_

_**"...WHAT?!"**_

**--**


	3. Bell Training, Uzumaki Style!

Family

AngolMoaChan

**Hi all! Chapter three is here, as promised. :3 I love writing this story, and have some good ideas as to what to do with it...(rubs hands together evilly)**

** Muaa! Everybody, make sure you say a big thanks to _Trenchcoatgirl-Kyo, _who is now my beta! Hopefully she'll get on my ass so I'll update more. (Not that I won't update. I LOVE writing this story. :3)  
**

**Naruto is not mine. If it were, somebody would have dragged Sasuke's sorry man-whore ass back to Konoha. (Gomen for the Sasuke bashing. I liked him before he went Orochimaru... --.--;;)**

**--**

Naruto yawned and blinked awake at around six-thirty in the morning. He sat up and stretched, then sat in bed staring blankly at the wall in front of him._ Blah...no more...want sleep..._

Looking over to his side, he noticed that Hinata was no longer lying in the futon next to his; in fact hers was neatly made up, and her pajamas were placed by the side of the bed. Naruto tilted his head curiously and got up, quietly slipping through the hallways. Hearing a few soft 'thuds' from outside, Naruto peeked out the garden doorway.

He was absolutely amazed by the sight. Hinata was training at this hour of the morning, landing her jyuken style hits into a large tree. Naruto watched in what he was sure must have been gaping awe, but _wow._ He had never seen anyone so dedicated to training before...well, no one except him.

Suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder. "Spying on your partner, Naru-chan?"

Naruto jumped about ten feet and squawked. "Tou-san!"

Arashi laughed. "Good morning to you too. You know, you could just tell her you like her. I don't think she would mind."

"Yeah, but...say, tou-san? H..." he gulped and started tapping his fingers together, "How did you know you were first in love with kaa-san?"

"First in love with her? Hmm. . . That's a hard thing to pinpoint, Naru-chan. I would probably have to say though, it was when we were younger. I had been watching her training, much like you were a few minutes ago, when Jiraiya-sensei popped up behind me and started spying on her. Apparently Nanashi noticed, because she used a water gathering jutsu, kind of like the one you use in Rasengan training, and popped a giant ball of water right over his head." he laughed at the memory, "We went on a date the next day."

"Kaa-san plays pranks on people?" Naruto asked, completely changing the subject. _Probably better that way anyway..._

"Yep. Watch your back when we start training."

"Training?" he questioned, blinking in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see. Grab Hinata-san. Breakfast is almost ready."

"A-alright. Ne, Hinata-chan!" he called from the hallway. "Breakfast!"

Hinata squeaked and blushed, swirling around in shock. "N-Naruto-kun! You s-startled me…"

"Hehe, sorry, Hinata-chan. Kaa-san made breakfast! Come on!" Naruto reached out and grabbed Hinata's hand. She gasped and Naruto turned back to her, "Something wrong?"

"U-um, n-no! I'm alright!" She stammered, looking at the ground with a tiny smile crossing her cheeks.

Naruto stared at her for a moment, then shrugged and proceeded to tug her into the kitchen, expecting some type of protest—he was _holding her hand_, and in his personal experience with Sakura, this would get him smacked for sure. But no: Hinata was quiet, and she was…_smiling? _Whoa. This was a **lot** for Naruto's brain to process…Being accepted? Not rejected?

Naruto was quiet for awhile after that.

--

"Naru-chan! Catch!" Something went hurling through the air and Naruto grabbed it, nearly missing. He brought the object to eye level and discovered it was a scroll, stamped neatly with the Hokage's seal, "Is this from Tsunade-baachan, kaa-san?"

Nanashi came around the corner and nodded. "Uh-huh. Just came in this morning."

Naruto opened the scroll and began to scan the contents

Naruto- 

_For the next several months- possibly years- I have assigned you to training under Arashi-sama and Nanashi-chan. Most of Konoha, unfortunately, does not know or believe you are Arashi's son; I had to make you his student, so if you were seen together, there wouldn't be any issues. Also, if Hiashi Hyuga shows up at the door, tell him to __**back off**__. Hinata is currently listed as your teammate and he is not allowed to take her from the property without Arashi-sama's permission. When he thinks you are ready, Naruto, you will be promoted._

_Take some time to think about what that means._

_Tsunade_

"So…I get to stay here…and train with you guys and Hinata-chan?" Naruto recited slowly, comprehending the letter. Nanashi nodded, and he cheered "ALRIGHT! AWESOME!"

"I'll meet you and Hinata-chan outside in the courtyard in ten minutes, alright? Bring supplies. You're gonna need them." Grinning evilly, Nanashi exited the room, leaving a very confused Naruto behind.

--

Arashi smiled as Naruto and Hinata stood in front of him, each carrying a small backpack of supplies. "Good morning you guys."

"G-Good morning, sensei…"

"Morning, tou-san."

"Alright, let's get right down to business, shall we?" he reached into a small pocket and pulled out a bell tied on a dark red string. "This might look familiar, especially to you, Naru-chan"

"The bell training!"

"Exactly!" A voice called from behind them. Out of nowhere, Nanashi dropped down right behind Naruto from a tree branch, standing upside-down, "See here? I've got the other bell." She held up an identical bell, only it was on a blue string.

"Your goal in this exercise is to…"

"Get both bells, yeah, yeah, I know!" Naruto grumbled. "And if we don't get the bells we don't get lunch."

"B-but…shouldn't th-there only be one b-bell?" Hinata observed shyly. "So one of us w-wouldn't eat lunch at all?"

"Very good, Hinata-chan." Nanashi smiled. "However…this is not the same training as you went through as genin. You _both _must return here with the two bells, and- is there anything I'm forgetting, Arashi?"

He laughed. "Only the most important part! Guys…you can't use _any _ninjutsu or genjutsu. "

"…WHAT?!" Naruto shouted. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Nope. No jokes. Just taijutsu. Oh, and to make it fair, I suppose the only ninjutsu we'll use will be Body Flash." Nanashi shrugged. "I suppose that might be a little easier. You guys have two days to find us in this forest…back here."

"Forest…?"

"Yup! KAI!" the genjutsu around them faded away in a swirl of leaves as they discovered they were standing in large forest that seemed to stretch for miles, "As of right now, we are on the bare outskirts of Konoha. Why do you think we took that little walk?"

"Alright…. So when do we start?" Naruto asked, drawing a kunai from his pouch.

"Eager, are you? Well…remember that you must come at us with the intent to kill. Understand?" Arashi asked, getting into a fighting position.

"Yes sensei!" they both chirped obediently.

"Good! Well, then…ready, set, GO!"

On that word, Naruto, Hinata, and Nanashi all disappeared. Arashi sighed and rested his hands on his hips. "This is going to be a long two days."

--

Naruto crouched low to the ground, carefully keeping an eye on Hinata from behind him, "Okay, Hinata-chan. Where is he?"

Hinata made a few quick handsigns and whispered, "Byakugan!". Veins began to radiate from around her eyes as her kekkei genkai activated, sending chakra pulses across the area. She carefully searched the area around them and said quietly, "A-ano, Nanashi-sama I-is about ten m-meters from this spot, using some type of g-genjutsu to hide herself…a-and Arashi-sensei i-i…?"

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto blinked, wondering why she stopped mid-word. He didn't have much time to wonder however, as a large hand connected smoothly with his blonde head, "OW! WHAT THE--?!"

Arashi smiled. "Body Flash is nearly undetectable to the Byakugan, Hinata-chan."

"O-oh…" Hinata was about to say something when Naruto drew a kunai and growled, "I'm gonna get those bells!"

He charged at Arashi, holding the kunai out to the side. Arashi easily sidestepped his attack and ducked under the aerial kick Naruto had sent flying at his head. With his free hand, he grabbed Naruto's ankle and flipped him downwards in a series of quick movements, "Always use an enemy shinobi's temper against them, Nar—" suddenly, a palm charged with chakra came inches from his face: Arashi ducked backwards and did a handspring to regain his balance. Another one, perfectly aimed at his tenketsu, came towards his side and he dodged that, just as Hinata's other hand nearly grasped the silver bell. He grabbed her wrist and blocked her other palm, so they were deadlocked in that position. "Not quite."

Then, he let go and swiftly performed Body Flash, disappearing in milliseconds. Naruto got up and wiped sweat off his brow. "…Damnit."

"H-he's very fast…" Hinata remarked. Ooh, this was going to be very hard to ask. Especially for her. Hinata summoned up all the courage she had and squeaked out. "U-um, Naruto-kun?"

"Hmm? What is it, Hinata-chan?"

"F-for this to w-work…we're going to h-have to w-w-work together…l-like Tsunade-sama t-taught us to."

Naruto thought back to the days of partner training, a pensive frown on his face. Every single one of their movements had to be perfectly anticipated and timed, so that when she jumped over, he would duck under. It was incredibly difficult and had taken a lot of work, "You really think so…?"

"U-um, w-well, s-sort of…What I m-mean is…we n-need to separate for a little while, a-and focus on either N-Nanashi-sama or Arashi-sensei, then come back together."

"Wow! That's a good idea, Hinata-chan!" he smiled brightly and sat back on his heels as she blushed dark red. "So, do you have a plan?"

She nodded. "Y-yes…"

"Alright! Let me hear it then!" Naruto scooted towards her and leaned in close so he could hear her. Well, okay, that probably wasn't the only reason, but he didn't quite realize it. "Flirt" may not have been a word in his vocabulary, but Naruto was doing it anyway. "Sorry, didn't mean to get close, but they shouldn't hear our super awesome plan, right?"

Hinata swayed dizzily and fought to keep consciousness. "Y-yes…" she gently turned to whisper the plan in his ear…

Meanwhile, Nanashi sat about ten feet away, concealed by a couple well-placed bushes. She listened and a broad smile crossed her face. "Well done."

Arashi appeared beside her and asked "How are they doing?"

"They're putting together a plan right now. I heard them talk a little about partner training."

"Really?" Arashi questioned, surprised. "Huh. They caught on pretty fast."

"Smart kids…Unfortunately, though, it seems Naruto is the dull one. He got your genes."

"Hey!"

She leaned over and pecked his cheek. "You know it's true!" Then Nanashi disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a twister of leaves.

"Get back here!" he growled playfully and disappeared, just as Naruto's foot landed on the branch where Arashi had been. He scanned the area carefully and sighed, dangling a kunai from one of his fingers, "_Now _where did they go? Hmmm…"

Naruto thought back to something Shikamaru had said back at the chunin exams. "_A shinobi uses everything to his advantage…including the terrain."_

This would call for some help from the fox in his navel. Naruto jumped up into the branches and thought loudly, '_Oi! Bastard fox!'_

'_**What do you want, you annoying kid?'**_

'_Help me track down tou-san.'_

Naruto could hear the sneer in the kitsune's voice at the mention of 'tou-san', _**'Why should I help you track down the one man who sealed me in this hellhole?'**_

'_To help Hinata-chan. You __**know**__ you like her.'_

Kyuubi's guttural growl seemed almost defeated as he snapped '_**Fine. I'll give you a little extra help…this time. That was a low blow…'**_

Naruto smirked as he felt the familiar wave of chakra build inside of him. He inhaled slowly through his nose…and could've sworn he smelled the faint scent of Nanashi's shampoo in the air. "What the--?!"

'_**Relax. I amplified your sense of smell.' **_

Naruto blinked. _'Uh, what?'_

'_**Idiot…I made it so you can track her scent.'**_

'_Oh…' _ Naruto nodded as the idea clicked, '_Got it!'_ He sniffed at the air and quickly headed towards the scent.

--

Meanwhile, Hinata was close on the heels of Nanashi, her Byakugan fully activated. She leapt stealthily through the treetops, keeping a close watch on the blonde head about fifty meters in front of her. She alighted on a strong branch and grabbed on, swinging her full body force straight towards Nanashi. Hinata shot forward, and quickly drew a kunai. She got close to Nanashi and prepared to strike, when a kunai was swiftly brought up to meet hers. Nanashi whirled around and grabbed both kunai by the handles, sending them down into the forest. "Sneak attacks! Tricky! But you'll have to do better than that!"

Hinata aimed a few jyuken palms at Nanashi and she ducked, easily avoiding them. Biting the inside of her cheek, Hinata prayed '_Please come Naruto-kun, please…'_ Suddenly she saw something orange coming up on her side with the Byakugan. Ever so slightly, she tossed her head down, as if dodging a hit from Nanashi. Sure enough, the orange object disappeared out of her vision. '_Yes! Now I just need to…' _Hinata carefully aimed her strike at Nanashi's right side. She quickly dodged to the left and Naruto shot out of the bushes, firmly grasping the blue string of the bell. It popped off her belt and fell neatly into Naruto's outstretched hand. "Sorry kaa-san!"

Nanashi laughed and sat down, "Good job you two! Don't forget, you have to go get Arashi's as well. It's almost sundown though, so I'll tell him to find somewhere to relax for the night. You two take the time to form a plan to catch him. He's going to be much more difficult than I was." She winked at them and disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

Naruto grinned and hugged Hinata, causing her to squeak and blush red, "Alright! One down, one to go! You were _awesome_, Hinata-chan!"

She stammered "U-um, th-thank you N-Naruto-kun…" Just as she was about to slip out of his grip so she didn't faint, a kunai shot into the tree above them. "Ah!"

Naruto grabbed the knife and pulled the small white paper attached from the blade, "It says we can use a katon jutsu to light a fire for food, Must be from Kaa-san"

"A-alright." Hinata began gathering firewood off of the forest floor, "C-can you do a katon jutsu?"

"Yup! Sasuke-teme taught it to me when he came back from Otagakure." Naruto's smile brightened, as it always did at the mention of the words 'Sasuke coming back from otagakure'. They had finally succeeded in their mission, and oddly enough, he had just surrendered…because the body of his brother lay dead behind them. At the accomplishment of his dream, Sasuke had promptly walked over to Sakura and had she had slapped him so hard it echoed. Then she jumped up and kissed him, and he kissed her back! Naruto had been a little jealous, of course, but more than anything, he was happy for the two. And now he had a girl he actually liked on the inside too, not just the outs—

'_**Whoa**__. Since when did I decide I liked her?'_

'_Since now, apparently.' _Answered his inner Smartass. Naruto sighed as Hinata walked up to him with the firewood. She seemed to be struggling under the large pile, which towered over her head, so Naruto immediately got up and took the pile from her. "I got it."

"O-oh…th-thanks…" she stuttered as he put down half the pile in-between them and made a few quick hand signs.

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!"

The small pile quickly lit with an amber flame and Naruto immediately put his hands in front of it. "Ahh…feels good, doesn't it, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata nodded, "Y-yes…"

He looked closely at the pretty girl, her pale features illuminated by the flickering fire. '_She's even prettier in the firelight…hmmm….'_

"Naruto-kun? Is s-something wrong?"

Naruto quickly snapped out of his daze. '_Bad Naruto! Bad!' "_Uh, yeah! I'm fine, Hinata-chan!"

"U-um, alright…"

A comfortable silence fell between the two, each lost in their own thoughts about how beautiful/handsome their companion looked in the light. The sun slowly sunk downward into the rose-colored sky and the forest darkened as a blanket of twilight fell over it. After a little while, Naruto stretched and yawned. "I'm gonna turn in for the night, okay?"

"U-um, all right…goodnight, N-Naruto-kun…" she put out the fire gently and lay down on the forest floor. Naruto noticed this. Right away, he pulled off his signature orange jacket and handed it to her. "…N-Naruto-kun?"

He smiled. "I'm used to sleeping in uncomfortable places, and I would probably throw that off during the night anyway. Besides, it looks like you're a little cold. Go ahead and use it"

Hinata stared in utter shock as Naruto rolled over and almost immediately fell asleep. She pulled the jacket around her shoulders and snuggled into the warmth, inhaling the scent of ramen from the inside. Within ten seconds, she was asleep, dreaming of having Naruto's arms wrapped around her instead of just his coat.

--

**I really really really should be working on my research paper right now…Oh well….8D I need to hurry up and type the next couple chapters of this, and once my research paper is finished, I'll have a lot more time on my hands. **

**Don't mind the random insertion of SasuSaku up there, btw. Just spamming my other favorite pairing, **

**So then, next time on Family… **

_"Well, well, well…isn't this an odd coincidence, hmph?" Deidara smirked to his partner, a small man with a large mask over his face, "Our leader-sama disappears and you, the 'dead' Yondaime Hokage magically come back to life. How curious…"_

_"Get behind me, Naruto" Arashi growled, "I'm going to dismantle the Akatsuki, and I'm starting with you."_


	4. Dismantle The Akatsuki

Family

AngolMoaChan

**All right…here comes my lame excuse for not updating fast. I'll try to update once a week, but finals are going to slaughter me, I'm sure…Three weeks from now, I'll be able to breathe again—in fact, I'm just finishing up my BIG research paper and my SOL's. My advice to you? DO. NOT. TAKE. I. B. There is a good chance it will kill you. T.T**

**Okay, on with the story now!**

**Naruto is not mine—if it was, Kishi-sensei would have confirmed about Arashi being Naruto's father a long time ago. **

**--**

Naruto sat up slowly from his makeshift bed and stretched, yawning in satisfaction. He looked over at Hinata, who was curled into a small ball with his jacket wrapped tight around her small torso. He studied her sleeping face for a moment, then got up and shook her shoulder gently, "Hinata-chan?"

"Mm…" blinking awake, Hinata met his cobalt blue eyes in a daze. Time seemed to stop for a moment as she realized Naruto was squatting by her sleeping bag, leaning so close to her face that their noses were nearly touching. Hinata squeaked and blushed ten shades of red, "N-Naruto-kun!"

"Hey! Morning!" he grinned, "We gotta catch tou-san today! You and me! I just came to say goodbye before I went to track him, just like we planned."

"Oh…r-right…" she carefully slipped out of his jacket and held it out to him, her head bowed in typical Hinata shyness, "H-h-here's your j-jacket back, N-Naruto-kun…"

"Ah! Thanks, Hinata-chan!" Naruto took the orange and black jacket and tossed over his broad shoulders, _Hmm…It smells like flowers… _"I'd let you borrow it…but if anyone's gonna get their dumb ass killed for being a walking target, it's gonna be me!" He grinned brightly and waved once, before leaping off into the trees. Naruto waited until he was a ways away to look back at the shocked, happy expression crossing her face. _Hehe! Victory! _Naruto bounced off the tree, "Okay, Naruto, here's the deal. You catch tou-san and be the hero, and then tonight, you tell Hinata-chan you like her! All right! You so can do—"

"Naru-chan, you shouldn't talk to yourself, even when people aren't around," Suddenly, Arashi dropped upside down from a tree branch, a mischievous grin crossing his handsome features, "You never know who's listening"

"Waah! Tou-san!" Naruto bounced backwards onto a sturdy branch and quickly drew a kunai, holding it at the ready, _Hmm…one on one with the Fourth Hokage. I get my ass kicked… or I get my ass kicked. Great. _ He charged at Arashi, figuring that he _was _the Maverick Ninja, and he was bound to come up with some kind of plan, eventually. Hopefully.

Arashi quickly dodged Naruto's fist and turned effortlessly on his heel, reaching out and catching his ankle with one hand, "Nice try!"

"Grr…" Naruto quickly redistributed his weight and flipped over Arashi's arm, then turned straight around and threw a punch at his face. He ducked and grabbed onto the tree branch underneath them, using his momentum to swing around and gather Naruto into a headlock, "Gah! No fair!"

He laughed, "Who said anything about fair?"

Suddenly, a voice lilted towards them, filled with malevolent glee, "Well, well. What a touching moment we have here…a father and his son, humph,"

Arashi's look immediately darkened in recognition: he cursed under his breath and let go of Naruto, "Naru-chan, get behind me, _now._"

"Isn't it so _wonderful_, Tobi?"

"Yes it is, Senpai."

Arashi threw a three-pronged kunai in the direction of the voices: the genjutsu around them dissipated and revealed two men, one with long blonde hair and no right arm, and the other with a large orange mask over his face. The feminine looking man smiled evilly as a white bird appeared in his hand, "Go after that woman with the whiskers, Tobi. You can take the bird over to her…Actually, go after the Hyuga girl too."

"Yes, Deidara-senpai!" the masked man leapt on the back of the bird, which had grown big enough to ride on, and leapt off.

"You bastard!" Naruto shouted, preparing to attack him and give him a good Rasengan right to the face. _He's gonna hurt Hinata-chan! He's SO DEAD!_

"Nanashi!" Arashi growled, rage clouding his usually calm features. He pushed Naruto behind him, much to his protests "You won't get away with it. Nanashi-chan and Hinata-chan are stronger than you think."

"Whatever you say…so tell me, Oh-Great-And-Powerful-Fourth-Hokage, how is it that you magically come back to life when our leader-sama just disappears? I don't think that's just a strange coincidence."

"You're right it's not. I'm not gonna give you the satisfaction of an answer." He tensed and drew another kunai, "I'm dismantling the Akatsuki, one by one, and I'm starting with you!" Arashi ran through a handseal fast as lightning, and growled, "Body flash!"

He appeared directly behind Deidara and kicked him in the back, sending the unprepared man into a tree. Arashi quickly made a few handsigns and growled, "Suiton: Tsunami no Jutsu!" _((Sorry, Kyo, but I couldn't think of anything else…I really need to work on my Japanese. XDDD))_

Almost out of nowhere, a large wave roared forward. Naruto quickly moved out of the way and stared in wide eyed amazement at the sheer power the jutsu had produced: the behemoth wave seemed to tower above them endlessly. Deidara seemed to have noticed this as well: in seconds, he had taken clay from his pouch and created another bird, flying high above the wave, "You'll have to do better than that, hmph"

Just as Arashi was about to retaliate, there was a puff of smoke and Nanashi appeared beside him, a large black and red something over her shoulder, "Nanashi?!"

"…What!?" he heard Deidara exclaim from above them, "Impossible…"

She grinned brightly and set the wiggling bundle down, "That was kid stuff. Come on, for the Akatsuki, that was pretty lame." Nanashi smiled back at Naruto, "Hinata-chan is fine, by the way. This guy tried to take her on first, but I came in and kicked his ass."

Naruto sighed with relief: he felt as if a weight had been pulled off his shoulders, "…That's good…"

"Now then, Arashi…" she cracked her knuckles, "What say we use _that_ technique?"

Arashi smiled, "I like that idea. We need to trap him first."

"You got it!" Nanashi made several handsigns and muttered, "Doton: Hinata Hana no Jutsu!"

"Hinata Hana? Are you serious?" Naruto groaned, "You've gotta be kidding…WHOA!"

All of sudden, vines shot out of the treetops, each one topped with a bright yellow flower. They reached Deidara's height and suddenly opened. A brilliant flash of light danced across the sky and Deidara plummeted, temporarily blinded by the white light. Nanashi grinned and asked, "Ready, Arashi?"

"You bet." He smiled and held out his palm. A ball of concentrated chakra quickly materialized in his hand, his signature technique in full force. Nanashi reached out and put her hands around the ball, closing her eyes as the blue chakra shot around them both in glittering arcs. She opened her eyes and they shouted in unison, "KATON RASENGAN!"

The bright ball immediately lit up into a ball of tightly packed blue flame: Nanashi let go and Arashi charged the still blinded Deidara. The Akatsuki member barely had time to create a small clay shield: the explosion of power sent him flying backwards in a blackened heap. There was a loud crack as Deidara hit a tree trunk and slid to the ground. Arashi slowly fell out of his ready position and muttered softly, "He's dead."

Nanashi raced over to him and hugged him tightly, "MAN that was awesome! I've never tried Katon before, I'm so glad it worked!"

Arashi blinked, "…So what if it hadn't worked?"

"Honestly? That thought never occurred to me." She smiled innocently and then turned to Naruto, ignoring the fact that Arashi was gaping like a fish, "Naru-chan, Hinata-chan is back at the house. Your father and I will deal with this other nuisance."

"Right!" he grinned brightly and leapt off towards the house. Naruto felt like his stomach had been doing gymnastics the second he heard the words "Go after the Hyuga girl". This did nothing but confirm that he did like Hinata, and he liked her more than he originally thought. Naruto landed in front of the house and pondered this for a moment, before slamming open the door and shouting "HINATA-CHAN!"

"N-Naruto-kun?!" he heard Hinata's startled shout from inside the living room.

The first thing Naruto did was hug her as tightly as he could, wrapping her into his arms and pressing her against his chest, "You're okay…"

"U-um, y-yes…" she blinked, shocked at this sudden behavior from Naruto. Something…something _different_ was going on, and she couldn't quite place what. No, this was definitely her Naruto, she could tell by the smell of ramen in his jacket…

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" he muttered into her shoulder, "I shouldn't have left you alone and I **really **shouldn't have been such a jerk to you for so long and I shouldn't—"

Wait a second. _Really shouldn't have been such a jerk? What's he getting at?_ "Naruto-kun…" she soothed, "I'm alright. You were never a jerk to me, in f-fact you were v-very s-sweet"

"No, but I was, and I ignore you all the time and I feel bad about it and—" Naruto stopped himself and took a deep breath.

_**Oi, kid, hurry up and tell her what you were thinking earlier so it won't bother me**_.

He had Kyuubi on his side now…? Certainly a new development…he gulped and asked slowly, "Hinata-chan?"

"Y-Yes, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto pulled away from the hug and held her at arm's length. There were a few bandages wrapped around her arms, he could see them underneath her baggy sweatshirt. He winced and muttered again, "I'm so sorry and…"

"And w-what, Naruto-kun?"

"I l—"

"Naru-chan? Hinata-chan? We're back!" a voice called from in the doorway.

Naruto jumped and quickly let go of Hinata, blushing furious red. _Dammit, kaa-san… "_O-oh, Hey kaa-san! Hehe!"

Nanashi studied Naruto as she came around the corner, "You feeling alright Naru-chan?"

"Uh, yep! Hehe!" he scratched the back of his head and boasted, "Never felt better!"

"…Right. Say, Naru-chan, why don't you go talk to Arashi? He's in the kitchen. I need to help Hinata out with some of her cuts."

He winced visibly at the mention of Hinata being hurt and nodded, "Alright…"

Naruto walked off into the kitchen, and Nanashi watched until he had disappeared through the doorway. The she quickly slid the door shut and went to Hinata, a broad grin on her face, "Soooo?"

"U-um, wh-what?" Hinata blinked, obviously confused.

Nanashi sighed. _She hasn't figured out he likes her yet? Jeez…_ "Aww, nothing, nevermind. Now, come here and let me see where that annoyance cut you"

She nodded and unzipped her purple sweatshirt, dropping it on the floor, "U-um, well, none of it's th-that serious…"

"Right, right…" Pulling a bottle of ointment from her pocket, Nanashi sat Hinata down in front of her and asked, "Hinata-chan…what are these?"

Hinata winced as Nanashi poked lightly at the fresh bruises over her arms, "N-nothing…"

"Seriously Hinata. And you know that I'm never serious unless something's happening to my child or my student. What are these from?"

Softly, Hinata answered, "…They're f-from training wi-with my f-father…"

Nanashi studied the marks, and the look on her face ranged from shock to anger to sadness, "He works you far too hard, doesn't he…"

She nodded, furiously biting back tears. Suddenly, Nanashi reached out and pulled her into a hug, "N-N-Nanashi-sama?"

"Your father is a jerk."

"Wh-what?"

"You know I'm right, Hinata-chan. He was in my graduating class at the Academy. I didn't like him one bit." Nanashi held her at arm's length, "You, thank Kami, turned out like your mother…"

"I d-did?"

"Yes. Beautiful and shy." She laughed and lifted Hinata's hoodie off the floor, "No confidence either. I have to admit, Hinata-chan, poor little Naru-chan would be on the floor with a _massive_ nosebleed if you dressed like this instead of wearing that jacket. You, my dear, are one of those lucky few that is absolutely gorgeous and modest, too."

Hinata blushed ten shades of red, "U-um, w-well, th-thank you, N-Nanashi-sama…"

"Aww, you don't have to call me that, Hinata-chan." She smiled and ruffled the shy girls indigo hair, "Feel free to call me whatever, so long as it doesn't involve 'baa-chan'"

"U-um…alright…Nanashi-sensei…"

"Kay, that's a little better." Nanashi began to rub the cold ointment over her small cuts and asked, "So, Hinata-chan, I'm sure you figured out this isn't the only reason I wanted to talk to you"

"Y-yes, N-Nanashi-sensei…"

" I wanted to show you something." She wiped the ointment off her fingers and reached into her shirt, pulling out a thin black cord with a small charm attached. She undid the cord and handed it to Hinata, "This was a present I got from Arashi"

"From…Arashi-sensei?" Hinata fingered the charm and asked slowly, "Why a p-padlock?"

Nanashi smiled softly and rested both her hands on her heart, "Kyuubi…before he arrived here in Konoha, Arashi knew that there was good chance he would. On the day Naruto was born, he handed this to me and said 'We will always be together, no matter the circumstances, or the consequences. Right?' He has the key…"

"W-wow…Th-that's so sw-sweet…"

"Arashi and I both kept that promise. We've both been completely faithful to each other, even though this is the first time we've seen each other in seventeen years. And now… I want you to have it." She reached out and closed Hinata's delicate fingers across the padlock, "You'll understand why soon, I promise."

"N-N-Nanashi-san, I couldn't…"

"I insist. Here, let me get it for you." She took the necklace and gently slipped it around Hinata's neck. It hung perfectly at her clavicle and Nanashi smiled, "Perfect fit. Naruto will understand when he sees it, I can promise that. Yes, I realize he's about as sharp as a marble, but he'll understand."

"U-um, w-well…th-thank you N-Nanashi-san…" Hinata tapped her fingers together shyly, "I-it's beautiful…"

"Yup. Oh, look, here comes Naru-chan." The door slid open and Nanashi winked at Arashi, "Hey guys. We're all done in here."

Naruto looked over at Hinata and blushed ten shades of red as he noticed that she wasn't wearing her jacket, but a tight fitting t-shirt and the fishnet armor, which gave him a nice of her—_STOP IT! BAD NARUTO!_ "Uh, uh, Hinata-chan! Y-you're alright!"

Nanashi elbowed Hinata lightly and whispered, "Told you"

"Y-yes, I'm okay, N-Naruto-kun…"

He gasped suddenly, noticing the padlock around her neck. Naruto reached slowly under his orange jacket and felt for the key on the cord. He turned to Arashi and asked, "What is this all ab—"

Much to his surprise, they were gone, leaving behind nothing but a swirl of green leaves, "Dammit, they ran…" Naruto looked back at Hinata and realized she had seen the key around his neck. _This getting together thing…it might happen sooner than I thought._

--

**Just a little fluff for you all, cause let's face it, you're all on the edge of your seats waiting for them to get together! I put the part where they were _so close_ just to tease you guys, and I'm sorry…Okay, I'm not really. XD By the way, does anyone know where I got the 'padlock' idea? I'll give you a hint, the show comes on after MY favorite show ever, Criminal Minds. X3 Whoever gets it gets…something? Oo I'll figure out what eventually_. XD _And, I'll give you guys TWO things if you can figure out where this line came from:**

"I'm so glad it worked!"

"…So what if it hadn't worked?"

"Honestly? That thought never occurred to me"

**I shamelessly quote my favorite shows. XDDD And **_**AikoInuzuka, **_**you can't guess! I know you know it! **

Hinata Hana no Jutsu: Sun Blossoms Technique

Next time on Family,

"_Move out of the way, Arashi! I can't see!" Nanashi whined, "Has he said anything yet or not?"_

_"I can't tell either, Nana-chan…"Arashi sighed, "I'm sure he'll tell Hinata he loves her sooner or later…"_

**My characters get a kick out of matchmaking. XDDD Sorry for the NON exciting preview…IB is killing me (dies under load of books)**

**Love you all! **

**AMC**


	5. Confessions

Family

AngolMoaChan

**Konnichiwa minna! I'm…(gasp) doing this chapter without my faithful beta Kyo, cause she has a trip…Oo Please ignore the bad spelling and the like: I'll do what I can! (embarrassed smile) **

**So, here is what is going on in AMC's pathetic social life that may keep her from updating. XD**

**FINALS! Oo;;;;**

**REASEARCH PAPER!!! TWO OF THEM!!!**

**CHOIR! **

**NARUTO MOVIE! XD **

**Naruto is not mine. If it was, one of the Konoha kunoichi, or hell, all four of them, would have tackled Lee and forced him into a makeover. XDDD**

**--**

Nanashi poked her head over Arashi's shoulder and whined, "Arashi! You're too tall! I can't see!"

"Sorry...nothing's happened yet..." he pressed a finger to her lips, "Now hush, so we can listen"

--

Naruto stepped closer to Hinata and asked quietly, "Hinata-chan...?"

She looked up, startled, "U-um, y-yes, Na-Naruto-kun?"

"Did kaa-san give you that?"

"Y-yes..."

He reached under the collar of his black jacket and pulled out the thin silver key from the black cord around his neck, "...Tou-san gave me this..."

There was a long silence, as the two stared at each other in wide-eyed realization. Slowly, the pieces of Naruto's memories of the shy girl were connecting together; the blushing, the finger tapping, and the fainting...

It had just now occurred to the number one-hyperactive-knuckleheaded-shinobi that he had done a lot of things to her just by looking at her. Kami, he had been such a jerk to her...his one track mind had led him astray from the one girl that had liked him even when he was a loser. The one who had liked him when he was hated, but couldn't bring up the courage to tell him. There was just one more test, he decided, one thing that would determine if she was truly right for him...Naruto took a deep breath and held out his hand, "Wanna sit down? You look a little dizzy..."

"Y-yes..." she stammered and shyly placed her hand in his.

Naruto led her outside and they sat down under a shady tree. He gulped and muttered, "Hinata-chan...? I have something important to tell you, something really really important..."

"U-um, all right, N-Naruto-kun...y-you can tell me..."

Naruto grabbed both of her hands and looked straight into her pale eyes, earning him a quiet squeak from the kunoichi, "Hinata-chan...You know the story of tou-san and Kyuubi, right?"

"U-um, y-yes, he killed the K-Kyuubi..."

He shook his head, "No, that's not the real story...Tou-san ordered everyone not to tell the truth..." Naruto took a deep breath and pulled up his shirt and jacket. He made a handsign and slowly, the seal spindled out across his abdomen, "He's...the Kyuubi...he's in me..."

Hinata gasped and her eyes widened in shock. She looked down at the ground and whispered, "S-so...that's wh-why everyone hated y-you..."

He nodded, "...You can feel free to run off screaming or something, I don't mind..."

"Th…That's so unfair!" she exclaimed, looking up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. For once in her life, the stutter in her voice had slowed to a stop._ It wasn't fair to him..., _"You never asked to have Kyuubi! And they...they all hated you!"

"Hinata-chan..."

She wiped her eyes and said firmly, "I don't think you're a monster. I think you're a proud failure, a good man who's only tried to make everyone happy and been shot down because of it...if anyone should be hated, it's them!"

Naruto stared at her in awe. _She isn't running...? She still likes me...and wants to defend me..._He took a heaving breath, as all the pent up emotion that had slowly been forming over seventeen years of pain and heartbreak broke loose. Naruto reached out and hugged her, squeezing her tiny frame as thick tears dripped down his whiskered cheeks. Hinata felt her own eyes watering as she gently hugged him back, and he clung to her like a drowning man, crying until he couldn't anymore.

Slowly, he let go and came back to look at her, the last dry sob rattling his ribcage. Naruto whispered quietly, "Hinata-chan...?"

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun?"

"...I think I love you..." he looked into her pretty eyes, and noticed she had been crying too. _I don't want her to cry...she looks so pretty when she smiles..._"A-and...I think I'm supposed to kiss you or something..."

She blinked, "N...Naruto-kun...?"

He leaned towards her and gently lifted her chin so they were nose to nose. Then he kissed her. Their lips barely brushed before Naruto pulled away and blushed ten shades of red, "I-I'm sorry..."

Hinata shook her head: even though the color of her cheeks was rivaling Naruto's, "N-no…It's okay...th-that was nice..."

Naruto smiled so big that his face was threatening to crack in half: he hugged Hinata and asked, "Ready to go inside? I'm pretty sure tou-san and kaa-san will want to know about this..."

"O-okay" she smiled as well and shyly slipped her hand into his.

--

Nanashi squealed with delight the second the two of them arrived in the room, "Yay! You guys finally did it!"

Naruto blushed and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Arashi smiled, "Naruto, we noticed that you two liked each other. A lot."

"And so, we decided to get you two together!" Nanashi squeezed Arashi's hand, "Those tactics worked for us, back when we were your age."

"Congratulation to you both"

Hinata blushed and buried her nose in Naruto's sleeve and he muttered, "Yeah, yeah..." 

"Oh! I just remembered something..." Arashi snapped his fingers and asked Naruto, "Sorry to move the focus away from our happy couple, but Naruto, you said you knew someone from the Uchiha?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well...you remember the Akatsuki kid with the mask?"

"Uh...huh... I don't get where you're going with this, tou-san..."

"Nana-chan, would you go and fetch our 'prisoner' for me?"

"Sure!" she chirped and disappeared down the hallway. A few seconds passed before she came back in, tugging someone by the hand, "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, you boke!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU LITTLE TWERP?!"

Arashi sighed, "I'll be right back, you two."

Naruto and Hinata exchanged a glance, "What in the...?"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the hallway and someone came flying into the room face first, accompanied with a shout of, "GAH! DISRESPECTFUL BRAT!"

The person slammed into the wall and slid back down. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his head and turned around, "THAT HURT, YOU BOKE!"

"YOU DESERVE IT!" Nanashi came stomping into the room and grabbed him by the collar, "Oh, I'll show you 'hurt' if you call me that one more time!"

Arashi reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a sigh, "Calm down, Nanashi…"

"I—am—going—to—kill—him!" she growled through gritted teeth, "Obito-bozu…"

"Naruto, Hinata." Arashi started, keeping a firm grip on Nanashi's shoulders, "As Nanashi said, this is Obito Uchiha."

"UCHIHA?!" Naruto exclaimed. He took a closer look at the man, scrutinizing him through squinted eyes. He had short, spiky black hair and a single dark eye. There was a jagged scar over where his right eye should have been, just like Kakashi's, although his demeanor seemed more like Naruto's own, "…You don't _act _like any of the Uchiha's I've met… 

"Well, I am one! So there!" Obito stuck out his tongue and Naruto, who promptly did the same.

Arashi shook his head with a sigh, "Obito, you are not a child anymore."

"Right…sorry sensei…"

"Wait a second! Tou-san is your sensei?!" Naruto exclaimed, "So you were Kakashi-sensei's teammate! That's where he got the Sharingan from!"

"Good job genius" he replied sarcastically, "That's true."

"Naruto. Hinata." Arashi started, gathering the attention of the two jonin, "Tomorrow, we're going back into town to see some people. All right?"

"Yes, sensei"

Nanashi cracked her fists menacingly, "I'm gonna have a talk with some of my former classmates…"

"Don't be violent, Nana-chan. We'll go to Ichiraku for breakfast, alright?"

Naruto and Nanashi both cheered in perfect unison, "ICHIRAKU!"

"It's getting late. We'll meet you guys in the courtyard tomorrow morning, alright?" he winked at Nanashi, who immediately trotted over to his side, a grin painting her whiskered cheeks, "Good night"

"Night kaa-san! Night tou-san! Night Uchiha guy!" Naruto smiled and tugged lightly on Hinata's hand, causing her to squeak and blush, "C'mon Hinata-chan!"

"I-I'm coming…" she replied softly, looking at the floor. The two of them disappeared upstairs, leaving Obito in the small waiting room.

Obito blinked and looked around. Surprise, followed by anger, quickly covered his face and he shouted, "WHERE THE HELL AM _I _SUPPOSED TO SLEEP?!" 

--

**That seemed like a good place to end it. :) No cliffy this time, lucky for you guys! Hehe, I get out of school next Thursday. Guess what that means for you all? MORE UPDATES! And there is much rejoicing! (monotone Yay.)**

**Random Monty Python quoting equals love. XD**

Japanese- 

**Boke-** Basically, "old hag"

**-bozu-** 'squirt' or 'kid'

Unfortunately…I don't have a good preview yet. XD So, you guys get a Mini Summary! XD 

Naruto, Hinata and the rest return to Konoha, and announce the news that the Fourth Hokage is back. With this news however, comes a terrible omen—war is on the horizon.

**XD I'm soo lame! Oh well! See you in chapter six!  
**

**Love, AMC**


	6. Return to Konoha

Family

AngolMoaChan

**Chapter six! (hyper bounce) Kyo-senpai can edit again! Hooray! **

…

**I started this chapter last week. However…something fairly serious had kept me from posting/e-mailing to Kyo. If you've read my LJ or my deviantArt, you probably already know about this, but yesterday, I was home alone with my little brother. He tried to cook something in the microwave…and it caught fire. Being the idiot that he is, he then **_**opened the microwave door.**_** (facepalm x20)**

**Thank god for our neighbor, who helped me carry the microwave outside and then helped make sure we were all right. We called 911 and everything—it was really serious, and one of the scariest moments of my entire life. **

**No one was hurt, and our house is fine—it just smells like burnt popcorn. XD**

**Naruto doesn't belong to me. If I did, someone would have slapped Sasuke for wearing that scrap he calls a shirt in Shippuden. XDD **

**--**

"KONOHA!" Naruto shouted, racing down towards the gates and tugging Hinata along behind him, "It feels like it's been forever! Oh man, I can't wait to have some of the old man's ramen…"

"Calm down Naruto." Arashi laughed, crossing his arms behind his head and smiling, "Remember, first we need to get a hold of Kakashi, then we need to meet up with Tsunade-san. _Then_ we can go to Ichiraku. Alright?"

"Fine…" He pouted, crossing his arms and earning a quiet giggle from Hinata.

They stopped at the gates and Arashi brushed his fingertips against the katakana on the doors, "Well…here goes nothing…"

With a wave to the startled guard, the doors opened and the crowded Konoha streets were revealed. Naruto whooped in delight, and attracted the attention of about half the village with his antics. Arashi gulped. As more and more villagers stared at their little group, they began to realize that not one, not two, but three supposed dead people were among them. _This could be a problem._

Just as Arashi was about to say something, a startled voice from the crowd shouted, "Is that Arashi Uzumaki?"

Naruto and Arashi both groaned simultaneously: that voice could only belong to the one and only Toad Sannin. Jiraiya pushed his way through the crowd and stared at both Uzumaki men for a second, "What happened to you being dead and staying dead, hmm?"

He shrugged, "It's Nanashi's fault"

"HEY!"

Jiraiya looked over at Nanashi and smiled one of those perverted grins of his before walking over to her and kissing her hand, "Well, well, the years have had no effect on you Nanashi-sama. If you ever want to dump this spiky headed—"

She didn't even let him finish his sentence: her fist slammed into the top of his head and she growled, "No thanks, I think I'll pass"

"You still hit as hard as you did when you were young too…ow…" Jiraiya rubbed his head, then grinned, "Hey guys, ramen on me?"

"YE--" Naruto shouted, but was cut off by Arashi.

"As great as that sounds, sensei, we have some stuff to attend to. Maybe later, okay?" he flashed the Toad Sannin a grin before waving ahead, "Come on you guys. We've got a student to scare the hell out of."

--

Kakashi Hatake heard the knock to his door and carefully placed his new Icha Icha Paradise in his back pocket. He opened the door and asked, "Naruto…?"

Arashi smiled, "Oh, come on now, don't tell me you can't recognize your old sensei!"

Kakashi blinked, "A…Arashi-sensei…?"

"Before you ask, this is not genjutsu or a dream, and no, you aren't dead, you logical fool. I'm right here." He smiled and stepped aside, "There's someone else here you'll want to see"

Kakashi rubbed his one visible eye in shock as the other figure stepped forward. _There's NO WAY this is…_

"Hey, Hatake" Obito grinned cheerfully, "You still have my goggles?"

"…O…Obito…?"

"The one and only! Oh come on, you're supposed to be good at adjusting to shock!" he teased, and then turned to the rest of the group, "Oi, you guys mind if I have a little time to catch up with Hatake here?"

"No, not at all. We have to meet up with Tsunade-sensei anyway." Nanashi waved cheerfully and turned on her heel, "Bye Obito-bozu! Bye Kakashi-chan!"

Kakashi paled at the familiar nickname and Naruto fought down a laugh, covering his mouth as discreetly as possible to avoid getting smacked for laughing at his sensei. The quartet left the small apartment, Nanashi leading the way. Naruto looked down at Hinata, who had squeaked suddenly and buried her face in his jacket sleeve, "Hinata-chan? You okay?"

He felt her fingers trembling as she gripped the black fabric, "M-m-my father…I s-s-see him…"

"Your WHAT?!" Nanashi growled, "Where is he?"

"O-over at th-the A-academy…"

She let go of Arashi's hand and smiled, although the sweet façade was cracked by the slight twitch of her eye, "I'll be right back"

"Wait—no! Nanashi!" he sighed and put a hand to his forehead, "We better follow her…"

Hinata and Naruto followed him after Nanashi, until they arrived near the Academy. She was waiting, it seemed, until he was away from the students: Hiashi Hyuga walked out into the street and Nanashi jumped in front of him, "OI! HYUGA!"

He looked at her in an odd mix of confusion and disgust, "…Nanashi Kazuma."

"It's Uzumaki now, you bastard. We have to talk about your daughter." She glared at him, just daring him to step away from her. Nanashi pointed at him and growled, "You've been abusing Hinata-chan!"

"I have done no such thing!"

"The bruises on her arms! Her demeanor! Hyuga, it's obvious." 

He spat, "I will not have you disgrace the Hyuga name in the streets of our town!"

"Was that a challenge?!" Nanashi clenched her fists, "Hinata-chan is talented! She's smart, she's pretty and would rule your clan with a level head! You, however, have put her down so many times, she has no confidence whatsoever! She had such a bright future, and you just continued to shoot her down!"

"Then tell me, Nanashi, how would _you_ know about all of this."

She grit her teeth and ground out, "Because…because my parents did the same thing to me! I was never good enough for them and it was horrible! There! Are you happy now?!" Nanashi waved her arms around, "Half of Konoha knows my deep dark secret! You know what Hyuga? Just for that, I'm gonna punch your lights out"

Hiashi got into a fighting stance: the crowd around them scattered to buildings and far away places to watch, "I'm not going to let you disgrace my family anymore."

"Bring it on!" Nanashi growled and was about to rush him when there was a puff of smoke. Arashi had appeared in front of her and held her outstretched fist in the palm of his hand, "Calm down, Nanashi. You don't need to start a fight in the middle of the street"

Whispers of, "It's the Yondaime!" and "Look! The fourth!" echoed through the empty space as Nanashi sighed and dropped her fighting stance, "…Fine…"

He turned to Hiashi, a slight smile on his face, but the controlled anger in his voice was clearly noticeable, "Go home, Hiashi. As of right now, I'm going to be Hinata's temporary guardian…" Arashi turned back to Hinata and Naruto and smiled, "And possibly father-in-law, hmm?"

"WHAT?! I—ack!—Uh…grr…" Naruto attempted to argue and spluttered out, the color on his cheeks matching that of his girlfriend.

He laughed, "Well, not yet. They did just get together after all."

"Excuse me?" Hiashi stated, his voice icy as a winter wind, "Together?"

Arashi flashed him a big grin, "They're dating. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a meeting with Tsunade. Come on you guys."

The quartet then disappeared, leaving Hiashi Hyuga spluttering like a hooked fish.

--

"Tsunade-baachan?" Naruto asked, poking her head into the doorway of the Godaime's office. He turned back to the rest of the group and sighed, "She's asleep."

"Oh _really?_" Nanashi grinned evilly, then made a few quick handsigns, "Water gathering jutsu" A thin stream of water was pulled from near midair, and gathered into a ball over Tsunade's head. She smiled and dropped the handsign: the water splashed over the Godaime's desk and head, "Rise and shine!"

Tsunade looked up at her student slowly, a death glare painting her pretty features, "…Who here has the death wish?"

Nanashi smiled innocently, "Sorry, Tsunade-sensei, but you were asleep! You're supposed to be working! And besides, you wanted us to come see you, right?"

"Right…I wanted to check up on you all. Arashi-sama, I'm assuming the entire village nearly had a heart attack when you walked in?" 

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Eheh…yeah…"

"I thought that would happen. Well, we'll have to get someone to formally announce your return…" Tsunade sighed, "So, what's new?"

"We were attacked by the Akatsuki!" Naruto exclaimed, "Deidara and Tobi, and tou-san and kaa-san kicked their asses, but then Hinata-chan got hurt! And then—"

She cut him off, "Calm down. Tell me what happened, but slowly."

"Well, that Deidara guy showed up, but he's dead. Like I said, tou-san and kaa-san kicked his ass. And then, we found out that Tobi is actually Obito, some Uchiha guy that I've never met, and then we came back to the house and I told Hinata-chan about Kyuubi."

"You told Hinata?" Tsunade looked to the Hyuga girl, "That must mean…"

Hinata blushed and buried her nose in Naruto's sleeve as he exclaimed, "Yup! Me and Hinata-chan are together!"

She grinned, "_Finally_, you dense idiot! I've been putting you two on missions together for a ridiculously long time, _praying_ that someone would get through your thick skull. I guess it just took your own parents. Nice job on that, you two."

Nanashi chirped, "No problem!"

Tsunade glared at her, "That reminds me. I need to get you back for that trick…maybe I'll enlist your husband for help"

Arashi turned to Nanashi and asked, "You won't be doing that again, will you?"

"I might." She stuck out her tongue

He started to make a few handsigns, allowing her to see the sequence, "You're not going to make me do this, are you?"

Nanashi turned away from them and crossed her arms. Arashi sighed, "Oh well…Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

There was a small puff of smoke and Nanashi squeaked in horror. She looked up slowly, along with the rest of the room. Sitting on her head was Gamakichi, "Hey there good lookin! Haven't seen you in a while!"

"ACK!" Her features grew horrorstruck as the little toad sat comfortably between her two hairbuns, "NOOOOOO!"

Naruto blinked, "What the…?"

Gamakichi asked innocently, "Something wrong sweetheart?"

"I'LL BE GOOD! JUST GET IT OFF!"

Arashi smiled evilly, "That's what I thought." He beckoned for Gamakichi, who jumped into Nanashi's hands before leaping over to him, "Alright, you can go, Gamakichi" 

"Thanks boss! Good seeing you again" he waved and poofed away.

Nanashi squeaked and ran towards the nearest bathroom, Naruto and Hinata following in confusion. She ran the water and started scrubbing her hands hard, "…Is something wrong, Kaa-san?" Naruto asked.

"Toad toad toad!" she exclaimed, burying her hands under the hot water, "I hate them, I hate them! They're so slimy and squishy! Just looking at one makes me want to throw up and I TOUCHED ONE! GROSS!"

Naruto blinked, "It's just Gamakichi."

"Sooo?! It's still a toad!"

"Oh, come on, kaa-san…it's not like you're going to die" Naruto sighed

"I MIGHT!"

_Other people's phobias are really hard to understand…_, "…I doubt it. Come on Hinata-chan, I wanna go get some ramen!"

"O-okay, Naruto-kun…" Hinata followed him out, giggling silently at her temporary kaa-san's ridiculous behavior.

--

"Arashi, take a seat, please" Tsunade gestured to the chair in front of her desk.

He sat and asked, "Now, there was something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes…" she unrolled a large map and set it on the table. Tsunade pointed to a tiny village in the corner, "This is Tsukikagure"

"Tsukikagure?" Arashi questioned, "Sounds familiar…what is it?"

"Well, do you remember the Nekozawa clan? From way back before the Great War?"

He nodded, "The cats…right. What about them?"

"Well, they recently joined up with this village, and since then, their size has tripled." Tsunade pulled a thick book from her desk and flipped the pages until she reached a file on their clan, "At least three members of this clan are in the bingo book as S-class criminals, right here"

Arashi looked at the files, frowning pensively as he leafed through the records, "I'm guessing this isn't the worst of it?"

"No. Three of our top ANBU jonin were ambushed and killed by those same three criminals. We only had one witness, and he's in the hospital right now: I treated him myself." She sighed, "There's also rumors of an attempted use of a Shiki Fujin style sealing like yours"

He cursed under his breath and set the files down on the table, "Anything else?"

"There's been a steady stream of disappearances from our village, as well as from Sunakagure. All of them were last seen in the company of this girl." Tsunade held out a sketch of a small girl with short dark hair and markings around her face, "We're not sure what to make of it yet…"

"Tsunade-sama…you realize…"

"…this is cause for war" she finished grimly, "Hiro, Asuka, and Byakko Nekozawa…you can take these files if you need them. Oh…and before I forget…" Tsunade dropped a small, tightly packed scroll into his hand. It was wrapped in blue kimono fabric and the top of the scroll was a wooden doll, painted to look like a geisha, "This was found slipped in our witnesses pocket."

Arashi took it cautiously, "Is this a kokeshi?"

"Yes. Go ahead and open it."

He did so gently, and the thick fabric came off, revealing a white scroll. Arashi unrolled it, and immediately grimaced, "…Oh, that's pleasant…"

The scroll was divided into several sections. Each one had a photo of the people who had gone missing, a lock of their hair, and something written in crimson blood beside it. After the fifteen sections was another small, separate page, where more symbols were written carefully, with a steady hand. Carefully, Arashi rolled the scroll back up and asked, "Is this a cipher?"

"I think so. We've been trying to crack it, but it's well written…we were hoping you and Nanashi would look at it"

He pocketed the scroll, "Sure, I don't mind."

"Heey! Arashi! You done yet?" Nanashi poked her head in the room, "Naru-chan and Hinata-chan went to Ichiraku without us!"

Arashi smiled at Tsunade, "That's my cue. I'll send Gamakichi whenever I crack this. See you then, Tsunade-sama" and with that said, he turned on his heel and walked out of the office.

--

And so ends the chapter! The drama! The fluff! XD It's been a while since I've written an eight page chapter…it's hard work! Well…I guess I'll go get started on chapter seven.

**Japanese-**

**Kokeshi-**memory doll

Next time on "Family…" 

"_**Kuroi-chan. I see you've brought us another specimen?"**_

_**The small girl nodded wordlessly and gently pushed forward the dark haired girl in front of her. The male voice from before stood up and pulled the masking tape off of the captive's mouth, "Welcome to our humble village…Miss Hyuga"**_

_**The frightened look in Hinata's pale eyes rang volumes around the rest of the room as she whispered, "…Naruto-kun…help me…"**_

_**--**_

MWAHAHAHA! XD I leave you with that! Love, AMC 


	7. Kidnapped!

Family

AngolMoaChan

**Hello all and welcome to another wonderful chapter of Family! I spent the past two and half hours researching and building character profiles just for this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it:)**

**Naruto is not mine. If it was, Tsunade and Jiraiya would kick Kabuto's sorry Orochimaru-bringing-back…I'm gonna shut up now, don't need to spoil you anime watchers:D**

**--**

The sun had set many hours ago over the tops of the stone faces, stars dotting the black canvas of the sky. However, a total of three people in the large house atop of those faces were still wide awake. The first was Arashi, poring over the cipher intently. The second and third were sitting together on the rooftop, staring up at the stars.

Naruto looked over at Hinata, who seemed transfixed by the glimmering lights. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, earning him a quiet squeak from the shy Hyuga, "What's on your mind, Hinata-chan?"

She sighed and leaned into his embrace, folding her hands in her lap, "M-my father…and N-Nanashi-sensei…and m-my mother, too…"

He frowned, "Let's see…your father's a jerk, kaa-san is kinda crazy and…wait, your mother? What about her?"

"I just…I n-never really knew her, th-that's all…" Hinata smiled up at him, "N-Nanashi-sensei said she knew h-her well though…"

"Hmm…maybe you could ask kaa-san about her."

"Oh, w-well, I don't k-know about that…" she blushed, "It d-doesn't matter…"

"If it's important to you, it does matter." He played with her hair and frowned, "Hey, Hinata-chan?"

"W-what is it, Naruto-kun?"

"Uh, well…" Naruto blushed slightly and asked quickly, tumbling over the words, "DoyouthinkIcouldcallyouHina-chan?" Hinata blinked and slowly digested what he had said, while he mumbled, "Uh, I mean if that's okay… calling you that and all…"

She smiled at him, "I would l-love that, Naruto-kun."

"Kay, good…Hina-chan." He grinned brightly, "I like it!"

"Me too, Naruto-kun…"

The two sat and talked for a long time after that, Naruto telling his many _slightly _exaggerated stories and Hinata giggling and listening patiently. Time passed and Naruto noticed Hinata had fallen asleep on his shoulder, her pale eyes closed and a small smile on her rosy cheeks. He smiled and scooped her up bridal-style, hugging her close to his chest, "I…love you Hina-chan…" he murmured, before kissing her forehead and carrying her back inside.

-_xx-_

A dark shadow crept into Naruto and Hinata's shared room, sliding under the closed door before reforming to the shape of a person. Said person quietly muttered, "Kage no Henge," and was engulfed by the dark shadow on the floor. When the shadow melted off, it revealed the person from before disguised as Naruto. "Naruto" walked over to Hinata and asked quietly, "Hinata-chan?"

She mumbled, "MmmNaruto-kun…?"

"Yeah, it's me…" he grimaced and asked, "Hey, wanna go out for a little while?"

"Sure…" Hinata stood up sleepily and followed "Naruto" outside. The second she realized that it was still dark, Hinata started making handsigns and muttered, "Byakugan!"

"Naruto" whirled around, "You're smarter than the others."

"You're not Naruto-kun!" she quickly got into a fighting stance, "Show y-yourself!"

There was a puff of smoke: the person turned out to be a small girl. She looked to be five or six years old, and had thick black swirls around her pale blue lightless eyes. Her face was gaunt and framed by messy, tangled black hair, "My name is Kuroi Nekozawa."

Hinata looked at the small girl in a mix of amazement and mother-like worry, "What are you doing h-here? A-and why did you t-try to…"

"I'm lost." Kuroi's monotone whisper echoed through the clearing, "Can you take me home?"

"W-why me?"

"You look like my mother." She stated simply, "Please?"

She looked back at the house anxiously, "W-well…I sh-should tell A-Arashi-sensei and N-Nanashi-sensei before I-"

Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke behind her, and she heard a deep male voice say, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that."

The sharp edge of a kunai was pressed against her throat and Hinata gritted her teeth, "…this was all a trap…"

"Bravo. Now then." The man from behind her lifted the kunai and cut a thick lock of her indigo hair before binding it with a band and dropping it on the ground, "The boss wants to meet you, Miss Hyuga. You're coming with us."

"And if I say no?"

"There's no option." A hand hit the back of her neck and Hinata fell limp, the last words on her lips floating into the breeze.

"Naruto-kun…help me…"

--

Arashi startled awake at the sound of crunching footsteps from outside. He jumped up, pulling a kunai from a holster and quietly stepped through the hallway and outside into the night. He looked around, scanning the area carefully before stepping into a shaft of silvery moonlight. Arashi noticed something glinting on the ground and he cautiously stepped towards it before reaching down and grabbing the item. It was a lock of hair, tied with a blue rubber band, which had a tag attached. Arashi studied the tag: it was the exact same cipher from the scroll. He swore, and turned quickly, racing inside.

-xx-

"Mm…not _there_ Arashi-kun…no, okay, there is fine…"

Arashi sighed and shook Nanashi's shoulder. As sexy as he found his wife dreaming about him, there was no way he would let her sleep through this, "Nana-chan."

"…I said stop that…" 

"Nanashi."

She blinked awake and murmured, "…Eh?"

"You have to get up, it's urgent."

Nanashi sat up and rubbed her head, "…Arashi? What's going on?"

He held out the lock of hair from before, "Take a look at this."

She complied and studied the object through half lidded eyes. As she turned it over in her hands, her blue eyes shot open, "This is-"

"I'm going to wake up Naruto, okay? Get dressed, and hurry!" He quickly headed out of the room, muttering curses until he reached Naruto's room.

Much to his surprise, he found his son already wide awake and holding a kunai, "…Oh, tou-san, it's you…where's Hina-chan?"

Arashi grimaced, "…She's gone, Naruto."

"Oh…did she go back to the village or something? Did I scare her off?" He blinked, then started waving his arms around "Waah! No! Tou-san! I scared her off didn't I? What am I supposed to-"

"Naruto!"

"She probably hates me, ugh, I'm a terrible boyfriend, I must have…hey wait. Tou-san? Did I do something wrong?"

"No you didn't! Naruto, Hinata was taken."

"WHAT?!" Naruto started to run past Arashi, a look of death in his deep blue eyes, "I'll kill her father! GAH!" 

"It wasn't him!" Arashi sighed, "Calm down and go meet your mother downstairs. She'll tell you."

"Uh…alright…" he blinked and headed down the stairs, "Kaa-san? What happened?"

"H…Hinata-chan…she was kidnapped…" Nanashi's hands were trembeling as she held onto the small tag: the look of horror in her blue eyes rang volumes around the room, "…And I know…well, I think I know who did it…"

"What?" Arashi had just come down the stairs, and he quickly asked, "Nana-chan, who?"

"If my memory serves me correctly…" her voice dropped to barely a whisper and her shoulders shook, "Hiro Nekozawa…"

"Nekozawa…?" Arashi cursed and retreived the kokeshi from his desk, "Nanashi, can you read the cipher?"

She took the scroll and whispered, "Yes…it was my nii-chan and Hiro-chan's secret language…"

"Your…nii-chan? Nanashi…" Arashi pulled her close and Naruto looked on cluelessly, the anger growing in his features, "You never told me about a brother…"

Looking away in shame, Nanashi replied, "…I'll tell you on the way…listen, do we have a map of the world around here?"

"Yeah, why?" he quickly reached into the desk and unfurled a large map on the surface, "Here you go."

She started to read the cipher out loud, "It says 'You were so young, and I al…"

"I what, kaa-san?" Naruto exclaimed, getting frustrated.

Her voice dropped to a whisper, "I…almost had the pleasure of killing you, Nanashi-chan…' and then it has two numbers, 35 and 111"

"Coordinates…?"

"R-right." Nanashi traced the lines on the map and her two fingers met directly in the center of Tsukikagure, "This must be where they're holding Hinata-chan…"

"Let's go already!" Naruto growled, throwing a packed bag over his shoulder. He was practically brimming with anger, his blue eyes clouded over in absolute fury, "They took Hina-chan…"

Arashi nodded, "Grab the map and the kokeshi…while we're at it, what does the tag say?"

"It says…" Nanashi gasped as she read over the contents, "It says 'Won't Hyuga-san's picture look nice in our murder book?'. That must be the kokeshi…"

"This could just be part of it." Arashi gritted his teeth and muttered, "Let's go. We need to get to Tsukikagure, and fast."

"Right!" Both Naruto and Nanashi followed him out of the door and into the woods.

-xx-

After the trio had traveled back a ways, Arashi looked to Nanashi and asked quietly, "Nana-chan?"

"…I know, you want to hear the story, right? Both of you listen up." Her normally bright eyes darkened over with shadows and she sighed. Naruto moved closer, so the three of them were leaping through the branches in a tightly packed line, "…When I was a little kid, I was the pampered princess of the Kazuma clan, so to speak. I had everything I wanted, whenever I wanted. The reason for this was my family's kekkei genkai: the Tsubasagan. It only shows up in certain children of the clan, and I was supposedly one of these kids."

"…So it's kind of like the Sharingan?" Naruto questioned

"More or less…anyway, the family had the shock of their lives." She smiled bitterly, "I wasn't a 'blessed child' like they thought. The second they found out, I was beaten by…by my father."

-xx_flashback_xx-

"Alright Nanashi, do just like toto-san does." Nanashi's father, a tall balding man with the same blue eyes as her started making slow handsigns, "Nezumi, Ushi, O-hitsuji, Tora, Buta, Ushi."

"Nezumi, Ushi, O-hitsuji, Tora, Buta, Ushi!" a ten year old Nanashi repeated proudly, "Now what toto-san?"

"Now, I want you to say "Tsubasagan!" really loud! Okay, sweetheart?"

A crowd of anxious elders watched as Nanashi shouted, "Tsubasagan!"

There was silence, as the clan members stared at her in horror. Nanashi blinked questioningly, "Hey…nothing happened! Why didn't anything-"

A hand shot out and slapped Nanashi across the face: she flew backwards and slammed into a wall, "You had us all going, didn't you, you little wench? Played us like a fiddle! Well…you'll never be doing that again!" her father advanced towards her and she raised her small arms, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I'll show you what you have done! You've embarrased me! You've embarrased the clan! But most of all…you've embarassed yourself! You make me sick!"

Nanashi screamed in horror as her father began making handsigns…

-xx_endflashback_xx-

"After that…" Nanashi sighed, and leapt to another branch, keeping her eyes focused ahead of her, "My brother, Ichiro, saved me from that bastard, and we left the clan. Ichiro-niichan taught me how to fight, how to defend myself, along with everything else I know…he was seventeen at the time, and acting like a true dad. After that…well, my father began sending assassins after me…one of these assassins was my brother's double crossing, no good traitor of a friend-"

Arashi finished her sentence, "…Hiro Nekozawa?"

She nodded, "Bingo. He kidnapped me, and held me in a dungeon for two days with no food…he came down once and told me that he was going to make me part of his clan…" Nanashi reached up and brushed her whisker marks with her thumb, "He carved these on my cheeks, and I would have bled to death, if not for nii-chan…"

"Your brother found you? And saved you?" Naruto asked numbly, his blue eyes wide in shock, "So…what happened to him?"

"Be patient, Naruto. Let her finish." Arashi chided.

"Thanks, Arashi…" Nanashi smiled halfheartedly, "Anyway…Ichiro-niichan came to save me. We were almost out of that hellhole, when Hiro-chan intercepted us. He started to attack me...but nii-chan jumped in front of me and took the killing blow." she stated in a monotone, "I had to leave his body there...I ended up using one of the jutsu he taught me and escaped..."

"Nanashi..."

"Kaa-san..."

"Nii-chan…he was such a good person, and I still don't understand how anyone would want to hurt him...he was so kind..." Nanashi blinked back tears furiously, and stopped jumping for a moment, glaring down at the path in front of them, "This is the second time he's tried to take someone precious from me, and there's no way in all nine hells that he's going to get to Hinata-chan. _No way._"

"Damn right he won't!" Naruto growled, clenching his fists until his nails dug into his palms, blood dripping onto the tree branches and down to the forest floor, "We're gonna beat that guy into the ground!"

Arashi nodded, "Yes we will." He pulled a scroll from his vest as well as an ink pen, "We need to get a message to Tsunade, so we can get reinforcements. Nanashi, would you do the honors?"

She nodded, "Hell yes I would."

"Wait, what? Kaa-san, you're gonna leave?"

"No, Naruto." Nanashi bit her thumb and ran through a sequence of familiar handsigns, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke, and sitting in front of them was a fennec fox with three tails. Naruto blinked, "A fox...?"

"Yup. This is one of the techniques nii-chan taught me." She turned to the fox and gave it the scroll, "Take this to Tsunade, okay Sanbi?"

The fox wrapped the scroll in one of its tails, "I'll do my best, Nanashi-sama."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly, "Hey, uh, Sanbi-shi? Could you please tell Tsunade-baachan to send Sasuke Uchiha?"

"We foxes do not take orders from just any brat. Who is this, Nanashi-sama?"

Nanashi sighed, "Sanbi, Naruto. Naruto, Sanbi. He's my son, and the Kyuubi retainer."

"The Kyuubi?!" a look of awe crossed the vixen's face: she nodded, "Whatever you wish, Kyuubi-sama." before dashing away.

_**I told you most things cower before me, you brat.**_

Naruto rolled his eyes._ Suure...former lover or something, stupid fox?_

_**...Shut up, insolent child.**_

_That's what I thought._ He turned to Arashi and yelled, "Let's go already!"

Arashi nodded, and the three of them leapt off into the night. Naruto looked ahead pensively, frowning, _Don't worry Hina-chan…we're coming to help!_

--

**Nanashi's back story was hard for me to write... ;-; My keyboard died from me pressing on it so hard while I was typing--if you've read any of my other stories, you might know that I tend to be an "action typer" XD. **

**I'm putting Sasuke in it just for one of my most faithful read and reviewers, Cameo-chan! X3 (I don't have Internet on this computer, so I couldn't look up the full pen name...gomen nasai! XD;;;;;) See, if you ask me for stuff, you will receive! XD**

**All grisly torture knowledge is from Criminal Minds. X3 Man I love that show. Speaking of which...the next chapter or two might include some more of those grisly torture moments, in both flashbacks and real time...Oo Just warning you all now, the weak stomached will want to skip those parts.**

**Japanese**

**Sanbi-**three tail

**Tsubasagan-**winged sight (I promise I will explain more about the Tsubasagan. ((evil cackle))

**(blank)-shi-** a slightly more formal version of "san"

**nii-chan-** brother

**Hina-chan-** This serves as a shortening/pet name of "Hinata"--however, it also means "doll"

**I don't know why I'm mentioning this, but I made a Nanashi sock puppet. XDDDD**

**Next time on Family...**

_"You're so beautiful, Hyuga-san. Do you mind if I call you Hina-chan?" the mysterious man leered at Hinata, his yellow catlike eyes amber with lust._

_She looked away and grit out, "No one calls me that...no one but Naruto-kun..."_

_"We'll see about that... now then. Asuka! Hiro! Get her changed, and have her meet me in my quarters..."_

--

**There won't be lemon/smut/rape or anything, I promise. I won't do that to Hinata.**

**...Maybe.**

**(cue evil theme music and cackling authoress in Evil Witch costume fading away)**


	8. Torture is such a drag

Family

By Sakusha-sama, aka AMC

**(Sakusha means author or writer. X3)**

**(takes deep breath)**

**Okay, I've been researching my ass off on all this stuff...medical knowledge, et cetera...I even wrote a song! Oo**

**If you see this-- warningwarningwarning --, the weak of heart and stomach should skip. (evil grin)**

**Oh, yes, before I forget if you see **_**words like this**_** it means the character is singing. XD More about that in the footnotes.**

**Naruto is not mine. If it was, all the non-NaruHina fillers would have never happened.**

**--**

Hinata awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar room. It was dark, save for a light coming through barred windows. She reached up to rub her eyes, only to find her hands bound tightly by thick steel cuffs.

Suddenly, there was a voice from across the room, "Ah. Hyuga-hime awakens."

Hinata took a deep breath and snapped, imitating her sensei, "Where am I?!"

A light clicked on. Sitting in a chair across from her was a tall man. The first thing she noticed about him was the jagged scar running from his brow line to his chin. The second thing was his frightening stature: he looked to be about six feet and well muscled, with a blue bandana hitae-ate tied around his head. His eyes were dark brown and lightless, boring into her like drills. Hinata shivered as the man got up and walked towards her, "Hmm...our leader wants to see you, Hyuga-san. "

"Not until you tell me where I am!"

He sighed, "How annoying...you are in the heart of Tsukikagure, in a dungeon, obviously."

"Tsuki...kagure?"

"Yes. Now come on, we're going to meet someone." he adjusted one of the thick bandages wrapped around his forearms before pulling on the chain attached to the cuffs around her wrists, "I don't understand our leader, what does he want with a delicate flower like this?"

Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke, and a woman appeared next to the man. She was beautiful, in a deadly sort of way, like a shard of glass. She had short brown hair and a black mask over her face, covering everything save her eyes, which were a rich gold with catlike slits in the pupils. It was her clothes, however, that caught Hinata's eye: it looked like something Ino tried to get her to wear once. The top had no sleeves; it was a tight leather boustier that showed a generous amount of cleavage and just barely reached her belly button. Under that was a short white skirt and a pair of shin guards like Anko's, as well as regulation black shinobi sandals. She turned to the man and asked, "Hiro, this is the girl nii-san wanted to see?"

"Yes. Her name is Hinata Hyuga."

"Hyuga, huh?" one eyebrow formed into a delicate arch; she turned to Hinata and purred, catlike, "Well, well, this is the latest victim. My name's Asuka, and I just might be one of the last people you see before you die."

Hinata glared at her defiantly, as the brunette pulled a blindfold and ball gag from a small bag slung over her shoulder, "Stay back"

Asuka laughed, "Aww, so cute! The girl in cuffs threatens me!" She moved behind Hinata and tied the blindfold around her eyes, then quickly gagged her, "Hmm...do you know if she's a shinobi, Hiro?"

"I don't know. You would have to ask aniki." he replied. Hiro tugged on Hinata's cuffs and stated, "Follow me and don't try anything. Asuka will be behind you. Understand?"

She nodded numbly, and the small party moved forward. Hinata inched her fingers together and formed the first handsign to activating her Byakugan. _One...two...three...four...five..._ the second she finished the last handsign, she pulled her hands up discreetly and whispered through the gag, "Byakugan..."

"Did she say something?" Hiro asked.

Asuka apparently shook her head, because they started moving forward again. Hinata looked around, memorizing everything she could see. They were in a large complex, a lot like her own home, walking through a maze of hallways and paths. Suddenly, they turned down a hall, towards a dead end. Hinata saw the secret door, however; she quickly deactivated her Byakugan as they entered through the doorway.

There was a new voice added to Hiro's and Asuka's: it stated, "Go ahead and get that blindfold and gag off of her. Those will come in handy later."

Hinata cringed mentally as they ungagged her and pulled off the blindfold. She took a deep breath and studied the man in front of her. He appeared to be a few years older than her, with thick brown hair pulled into a ponytail. He had the same yellow eyes as Asuka--Hinata deduced that this was the 'nii-san' they had talked about. The man was wearing an outfit similar to Sasuke's: a pair of white shorts and a black top. There were two red marks carved into the sides of his cheeks, just under his eyes and branching outwards like thick whiskers. He gave a sinister smile, "Why hello there, Hyuga-hime. My name is Byakko Nekozawa."

Her brow furrowed and she summoned up as much courage as she could, "Like I care."

"Ooh, she's a feisty one. Are we gonna kill her fast or take our time?" Asuka asked, crossing her arms.

Byakko's lip curled into a grin: he put two fingers under Hinata's chin, lifting her up so she met his lusty gaze, "I don't know...hmm, you're so beautiful, Hina-chan. May I call you that?"

She looked away, "Only Naruto-kun can call me that."

"'Naruto-kun?'" he asked, frowning, "Ahh, yes, the son of the Fourth, the jinchuuriki, the reason why you are here."

"Hyuga-san, if you must know, we are after the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and you are our hostage." Hiro stated.

Asuka grinned evilly, twirling a senbon between her fingers, "Oh, and don't worry, we won't kill you. We might...oh, what's the term...rough you up a little?"

Byakko nodded, "Maybe, if you serve me well, you can join our clan, Hina-chan. My own personal servant...I like that idea."

"I'd rather die." she ground out icily, gritting her teeth.

"That could be arranged...we could just kill you anyways..." Asuka sighed, "How long are you gonna make me wait before I get to kill her, hmm, nii-san?"

He smiled darkly, "Oh, I don't know. I'll have my fun, Naruto will show up, we'll take care of him, the Fourth, and his wife, and then you might be able to. Now then, Asuka, Hiro."

"Yes sir?"

"Get her changed. Asuka, _then_ you may do what you wish. Don't rough her up too much...it'll be my turn next."

"Yes, sir!" Asuka grabbed the chain between the handcuffs and tugged her away. Hinata bit her lip, and followed, silently praying, _Naruto-kun...come soon..._

_--_

Asuka led her to a small room with a dresser. Everything else in the room was bare, save for a set of thick chains anchored to the stone wall and bloodstains splattered everywhere. Hinata sniffed the air and immediately gagged: the scent of blood and death breezed through the room. Asuka started to whistle as she dug through the dresser, "Let's see...nii-chan said he wanted you in something sexy and revealing. Well...good thing that it's my job to dress you!"

Hinata asked softly, "...Um, Asuka-san...?"

She turned around, "Huh? What is it, kid?"

"...Will you really..." she choked on the last words, "kill me?"

"Nah..." Asuka grinned through her mask, "Not yet, remember?"

"Oh...right..."

"Now, let's see...ah! Perfect!" she pulled out a thick package labeled, 'FOR NII-CHAN'S AMUSEMENT', "Here ya go! I'll let you change...I'm telling you now, there is no way out of this room. No windows. Nothing but the door, and I'll be on the other end of that. Understand?"

Hinata nodded numbly. Asuka winked and then shut the door, "Oh! Kuroi, you may go and help Hyuga-san, okay?"

The door opened once more, and in walked the little girl from before. Hinata blinked, "...Are you here to help me?"

She nodded and began to unwrap the package, pulling out the separate pieces. The girl held them out and whispered, her voice wobbly, "I will help you get dressed, like nii-san said to..."

"Oh…right..." Hinata took the package and sighed, "Thank you."

Kuroi nodded and turned away, allowing her to change. Hinata regarded the package's contents like a dirty diaper: she held them away from her in disgust. Still, she sighed, and began to put the outfit on.

A few minutes later, Kuroi stepped outside and tugged on Asuka's skirt. She looked down and asked "Ah. All finished?"

She nodded. Asuka went in and let out a long low whistle. Hinata was wearing a tight lacy black top with a pair of black panties. She looked away, her cheeks painted red, absolutely ashamed and horrified, "…"

Asuka grinned, "Oh boy, Nii-chan is going to _love _you! Too bad you'll be covered in blood." She stepped forward and muttered, "Shibaru no Jutsu!"

Hinata hit the wall and the cuffs attached to it slammed across her wrists. Asuka drew a few senbon and smiled darkly, "Let's get started, shall we?"

--

Naruto grabbed at his thick spiked hair, pulling hard, "Dammit, dammit, dammit..."

Nanashi looked at her son in concern. The group was waiting for the reinforcements to meet them here, and there was nothing they could do but sit there and hope they came fast. She reached over and hugged Naruto, pulling him into her embrace and gently pulling his hands away from his hair, "Naruto...when you were a baby, you cried a lot." Nanashi laughed slightly and started to stroke his hair, "Your father, he did _everything_ and he could never get you to stop crying...then he'd give you to me, and you would get quiet really fast."

"I'd have to sing you a lullaby every time, and you would be absolutely silent." she smiled, and started to sing softly, staring out into the fire Arashi had started as a signal, _Hush, my sweet child, Let go of your sorrow…Sleep, soft and mild, and wake on the morrow…"_

Naruto looked up at Nanashi, the lullaby immediately registering in his system. _That...I __**know**__ this song...'_

She stopped and laughed nervously, "Haha, or something like that...it's easier to sing to someone who doesn't understand you...Anyway...I just want you to know, Naruto, that you shouldn't beat yourself up. It's not your fault."

"Yeah, but..."

Watching from a distance, Arashi sighed, "So, you got the gist of what's going on?"

The raven haired Uchiha next to him shrugged, "More or less. You guys?"

The three people behind him nodded, and Arashi smiled, "Good. Now listen, we're going to meet up in Tsukikagure, and split into an attack team and a rescue team. The number one priority in this is to get Hinata-chan out of there. Do you all understand?"

"Yes sir!" came their attentive reply.

"Good. Get going." He turned back towards the camp and the shinobi wordlessly exited the clearing. Arashi called, "Let's go, you guys."

"Right!" Nanashi got up, ruffling Naruto's hair, "You ready, Naru-chan?"

He clenched his fists tightly, "I've never been more ready in my entire life!"

Arashi smiled, "That's what I like to hear!" before leaping into the trees. The other two quickly followed, looking twice as determined as before.

--**warningwarningwarning--**

Hinata slumped to the ground, pressing hard against her stomach to stop the bleeding. Asuka had long since left the room, although her weapons, sharp senbon and kunai, still remained, soaked in Hinata's shed blood. She gritted her teeth and began to pull herself away from the wall where she had been resting, digging her nails into the dirt floor and forcing herself to move, _Just a few more inches and..._

At last, her fingers clasped around her pant leg with her shuriken pouch. Hinata pulled herself into a sitting position and leaned against the wall, panting with effort. She ripped the leg off of her pants and gingerly lifted the bloody silk from the outfit she had been forced into away from her skin. A long, curved cut was stretched under her ribcage all the way down to her hips, bleeding profusely. Hinata dug into the shuriken pouch from her pants, fighting to stay concious, when she managed to pull something out. She turned the matchbook over in her hands and pulled out a single red-tipped match. Hinata struck it and it quickly lit: she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _Be strong. Be strong. Be strong. _The phrase echoed over and over again through her mind as she pressed the flame against her pale skin. Hinata fought down a scream of pain as she threw her head back and gritted her teeth, the fire turning her skin black. She pulled the match away and breathed heavily, _If I don't do this…I'll never see Naruto-kun again…_With that thought driving her, Hinata started to move the match again. After what seemed like hours, she examined her cuts. The biggest one was now singed black, but it had stopped bleeding: the 'a' carved into her stomach had done the same.

_Cauterization...medic ninja 101. It's a good thing I paid attention in school. _She thought dully, dropping the now dead match on the floor. Hinata felt her eyes closing; any second now, she was going to pass out. As her vision dimmed, Hinata grabbed the pant leg and ripped it into shreds, before placing those shreds along that cut, as well as the three cuts on either side of her cheeks. As she slumped to the floor, Hinata clutched at the padlock around her neck and whispered, "Naruto-kun…" before her eyes closed and she hit the ground in a dead faint.

-**endwarning-**

Asuka blinked as she opened the door, "Eww, it smells like burnt skin in here..." she turned to Hinata and gasped, "Oi, Hiro! Get in here!"

The older man entered the room and asked, "What is it?"

"Look at this." she turned Hinata over and allowed Hiro a full view, "She cauterized her biggest cut, then pressured each other one. Smartest victim we've ever had."

"No kidding..."

"Now, you said Byakko wanted to see her, right? We'll send her upstairs with some fresh clothes, and he can do whatever he wants once she wakes up."

"Right..." Hiro nodded and helped Asuka move her up so they could get her changed.

--

"Byakko-niichan?"

The brunette man grinned to himself and called, "Come in…whoa!"

Asuka entered, carrying Hinata over her shoulder. She had been changed into a black tube top and a low cut skirt, red lace barely peeking out from the tops. That wasn't the first thing Byakko noticed however: it was the blackened skin around her midsection, "What did you do to her?! I asked you not to..."

She set Hinata down on Byakko's bed and shrugged, "Hey, I had nothing to do with this. She burned the shit out of herself to stop her bleeding."

"Huh..." Byakko noticed the flush across her cheeks, "She's feverish. Have Hiro bring some cold water."

"You heard him, nii-san" Asuka waved over her shoulder, and Hiro turned on his heel towards the bathroom. As soon as he was gone, she asked, "I talked to her. She's a virgin. Are you really going to...?" 

He shrugged, "I haven't decided yet. It could go either way"

"Aniki, I'm back." Hiro stepped in the room and handed him a bucket full of cold water and a rag.

"Thanks. Now both of you get out of here." he pointed out the door, and they left. Byakko wet the cloth and placed it on Hinata's forehead with a sigh. _This girl is more trouble than she's worth._

--_**semismutwarning--**_

It was an entire day later when Hinata awoke, her fever completely gone. She sat up slowly and rubbed her head, noticing the lack of handcuffs around her wrists. Standing up, she was abruptly yanked back downwards by a chain. Hinata moaned in pain as she realized that there was a chain encircled around her waist. She stood up and tested the length, realizing it would only allow her to get on top of the large, circular bed in the middle of the room before yanking her backwards. Standing over the bed, Hinata frowned and crossed her arms, trying to think of a plan out. Suddenly, a hand hit the small of her back: she fell forwards, straight onto the bed. She felt a presence over top of her and instantly paled: a heated voice whispered in her ear, "That was pretty smart of you to cauterize all that. I'm glad you kept yourself alive for me"

Hinata lifted her head and spat, "It wasn't for you"

"Oh, really. Maybe you want me to be your 'Naruto-kun' then." He got up and made a handsign, muttering "Kage no Henge". Byakko was engulfed in black shadows, but he quickly reappeared. Hinata's eyes widened as he grinned, "Hina-chan, you love me, your Naruto, right tebayo?"

"N-no...you aren't Naruto..."

"But I am! And now, just cause I am, you'll do whatever I want, right?"

"No!" she looked away from those imitation eyes, pain stricken across her features, "You're not him!"

"I am. And now...we're gonna have a little fun..."

Byakko/Naruto made a handsign, and muttered "Shibaru no jutsu!"

Thick bands of chakra shot up from out of his hands and clamped around Hinata's wrists and ankles and she whispered, "No..."

He advanced towards her, dropping articles of clothing in the process. Hinata closed her eyes and turned her head away, a single tear sliding down her pale cheek. "Come on Hina-chan, it'll be fun...just me and y--"

"STOP RIGHT THERE YOU SCUMBAG!"

Hinata's pale eyes shot open as she heard a door slam. Standing in the doorway, chest heaving, was Naruto.

"You--! How did you get in here?!" Byakko quickly transformed back into himself, "There's no way you could have—"

Kuroi peeked out from behind Naruto's legs: she backed away as the anger grew in her brother's eyes. Suddenly, a wave of red chakra shot out from Naruto and slammed Byakko against the wall. Naruto looked at the ground, and growled, his voice feral and wild "You...you...hurt Hina-chan..."

He looked up: his eyes were a dark demonic red and his pupils were slit thin, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

--

**Hehe, cliffies are fun! Next chapter will explain how Naruto and the rest made it to Tsukikagure, why and how Kuroi helped them, and will probably have some serious fight scene action! Not yay! Hard work for me! And more research! (sigh) **

**Speaking of hard work, I wrote Nanashi's lullaby. Oo It's to the tune of 'Hokage's Funeral', and I'll post the entire song on my profile sooner or later. Possibly. XD**

**You all know I love you! Two chapters in one week! Hell, I wrote both of these in one day. I love this story so much, updating it is fun for me...if I could I'd update every day, but I like to leave you reviewers in SUSPENSE! XDDD**

**I hope you enjoyed your double feature!**

**Japanese:**

**Shibaru-**Binding

**Aniki-**coarse term for brother

**Next time on "Family..."**

_**Naruto gasped as the little girl held up a tablet. Written in shaky, small handwriting was, "My name is Kuroi. The black cat is telling me to help you…she says you're powerful…you can help save Hinata…"**_

"_**The black cat…?" he blinked, "What does that have to do with…"**_

_**Arashi's eyes widened in realization. "Naruto…she's a…"**_

_**--**_

**Til next time everyone:) **

**AMC**


	9. Nanashi's Turn To Fight

Family

AngolMoaChan

**Hello everyone! Tis AMC here with chapter 9! This chapter's gonna be a whole lot of backstory, just so you can understand how Naruto and the rest ended up in Tsukikagure. You'll have to wait for your big fight scene! XD**

**Naruto does not belong to me. If it did...well...(holds up net and collar) Here Arashi-samaa! Come here! AMC's got a treat for youuu! 3 (cue evil laughter)**

**--**_**Earlier that day...**_

Naruto was the first to see the crumbling gates of Tsukikagure. He shot downwards through the leafy branches, and hit the ground, followed quickly by Nanashi and Arashi. As he was racing towards the gate, Naruto heard a voice call, "Oi! Dobe."

He whirled around. Standing behind him were four people in ANBU masks. The one in front removed his snake mask, and smirked, "What are you rushing in for? You'll get yourself killed."

"Sasuke-teme..." he blinked, then grinned, "You're here to help me find Hina-chan?"

"Yes, he is." a female voice spoke up. Naruto lit up at the sound as she took off her mask and revealed rosy pink hair, "I am too, Naruto-baka."

He grinned even wider, "Sakura-chan! And the other two?"

They both unmasked: Kakashi and Obito said in perfect unison, "Us, of course."

"Okay, guys, here's the plan." Arashi stepped in, "We're going to stay in two teams, one for rescue and one for battle. The first team's primary goal is to storm the building and secure Hinata. The second's is to protect the first and shed as little blood as possible. Understand?"

They all nodded, "Yes sir"

"Good. Now then--" he whirled around suddenly and threw a kunai at a bush. The group stared for a moment, and were startled as the leaves began to rustle. A small girl stepped out, her head down. Arashi asked, "Why were you listening in on us?"

For the first time, he noticed she was carrying a small tablet. The girl began to write and held it up for their inspection, "_My name is Kuroi. The black cat is telling me to help you…she says you're powerful…you can help save Hinata…"_

Naruto blinked, "The black cat...Hinata...what?"

Arashi gasped in realization, "Naruto...she's a jinchuuriki! The Nekomata!"

"You can help us find Hina-chan?!" he exclaimed. Kuroi nodded and Naruto grinned, "Awesome! I'll go with her, I guess. Us jinchuuriki have to stick together!"

Sasuke and Sakura both stepped to his side, and Sakura said, "We'll go with you two."

"Alright. Everyone, move out!" Arashi raised his hand, and the first group of Naruto, Kuroi, Sasuke, and Sakura departed.

--

Naruto nearly went bug-eyed at the sight of the building Kuroi pointed to a few moments later. It was large: no, it was _huge, _one of the biggest one-story buildings he had ever seen. She wrote on her tablet and held it up for Naruto's inspection, "_My two brothers and my sister live here...Hinata-ane-san is in the underground level, I think...with nii-san..."_

He bristled at the last few words of the sentence, his blue eyes narrowing as he stared across at the building. Then, without even a 'Dattebayo!', the orange shinobi raced inside, the rest of the team close behind.

Within moments, the first team was down the first hallway. Naruto looked around- it seemed normal, just like any other fancy house, but his sensitive nose caught the scent of blood wafting through the 'clean' hallways. Suddenly, a voice cut through the thick silence accompanying the group, "Why, Kuroi, what are you doing with these people?"

Naruto came to an abrupt halt, as did the others. Kuroi hid behind Naruto's legs, and he shouted, "Who's there?!"

A woman appeared in the hallway. She flicked her short brown hair lazily over her shoulder, her yellow eyes gleaming at them through the darkness, "Come on Kuroi-chan. Nii-chan wants to see you."

She shook her head furiously, and Naruto glared at the woman, "Who are you?!"

"My name is Asuka Nekozawa. It's a pleasure to meet you...I'm assuming you're Naruto?" Asuka smirked as he jumped slightly, "Yes, I thought so. Oh, how your little girlfriend screamed your name while I tortured her...it was quite fun."

A thin wave of red chakra had started to surround Naruto, he hissed, "You hurt Hinata-chan...I'll--"

Suddenly, a hand came to rest on his shoulder. Naruto turned, shocked, to see the stoic Uchiha next to him, "Dobe, calm down. Your priority is to find Hinata. I can handle her."

"Sasuke-teme..."

"I mean it. Go! You too, Sakura!"

Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand, "Come on. We have to find Hinata."

He nodded, and they swiftly made their way past Asuka. She turned to face them and a kunai shot inches from her face: she barely had time to dodge. Sasuke smirked, "What are you following them for? I'm your opponent."

"...Tch!" Asuka drew senbon, several in each hand, "Fine then! You obviously have a death wish."

"Sasuke Uchiha." he said suddenly. Asuka blinked, and he smirked, "Just thought you should know the name of the man who is going to kill you."

He started into a familiar sequence of hand signs, as the Sharingan wheels twirled in his blood red eyes. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

Asuka dodged the fireball that singed the walls of the complex with a swift vertical turn: she landed catlike on her feet and hissed, "Yaseineko Yoshiki: Chakra Doriru!"

Asuka leapt onto the side of the wall and sprinted towards Sasuke, something growing in her outstretched left hand. Thick bands of blue chakra spun around her hand as she held it forward: it began to twirl like a drill. Sasuke quickly ducked under as the point of the drill slammed into the wall inches from his head. She quickly yanked it out and brought it down, and Sasuke leapt backwards, only to feel something slice through his shoulder. He winced in pain as blood dripped down his arm and onto the floor: the cut was deep, very deep, and could prove troublesome, "...How did you...?"

She smirked, "This chakra drill sends out waves of razor sharp chakra every time I swing it. I will hit you no matter how much you dodge. You'll do nothing but make a fool of yourself.

Sasuke's brow furrowed as his brain racked it's files for ideas, anything, any way to beat this madwoman. Suddenly an idea clicked and he smirked, "Oh, I don't know about this."

He began to make handsigns and thought _I hope this works..._, "It's time for you to die!"

---

Meanwhile, Nanashi, Arashi, Kakashi and Obito had entered the back door of the complex and were racing down a corridor. Nanashi suddenly shouted, "Door on the right!"

The others stopped and she kicked down the door. The room was filled with medical supplies and several beakers and test tubes: there were corpses, all held against the wall with chains, and each with an expression of horror on their faces. Nanashi immediately plugged her nose and Arashi frowned, "Human testing..."

"Sensei!" Obito called, from another corner of the room, "We found a trap door!"

They quickly joined the two jonin, and Kakashi lifted the door to reveal a set of stairs, "Right here. I get the feeling there's somebody down there."

Nanashi nodded, "Right. Well...I have a feeling I know who it is. You guys go ahead after Naru-chan."

Arashi glanced at her and she nodded, clenching her fists. He ordered, "You heard her, boys. Let's go!"

She smiled at Arashi, and headed down the stairway. Nanashi followed the path until she reached a dank room reeking of blood and chemicals. Suddenly, there was a voice, "Nanashi-chan, it is an _honor _to see you again."

She whirled around, and came face to face with the one man she had been searching for since her brother's death. There it was: the white scar she had given him across his face, his chisled features, the blank eyes. Nanashi hissed, "...Hiro Nekozawa."

He smirked and jumped away from her as she drew a kunai and threw it at him, "You've grown quite lovely since I put those marks on your cheeks. You were just a little girl..."

"You killed my brother..." she growled, and began to make a few handsigns slowly, allowing him to see the sequence, "Now you're going to die!"

Hiro frowned. "Oh please. I am an expert on your clan, and you are not one of the blessed children. You could never..."

"TSUBASAGAN!" Nanashi closed her eyes, and they shot open again, totally different. Her once bright blue eyes were now a deep shade of amber, and white specks were scattered across the bottom half of her eyes. The most noticeable thing about her eyes, however, were the tops. Smooth white lines radiated from across the top to her pupils, making it look like she had tiny wings in her eyes. Nanashi grinned, "Never say never. I'm married to the Fourth Hokage, and we worked on more things then just making Naruto, you know."

"...Hmph. Well, even that won't help you here." Hiro charged her, making hand signs quickly, "Seitai no Jutsu!"

Time slowed down for Nanashi: it seemed as though Hiro was in a flip book, thanks to the powers of her Tsubasagan. She saw the strings of chakra that were supposedly invisible, the ones Hiro had caught her with when she was a young girl. The second the strings were about to hit her, she leapt upwards and, using Hiro's shoulder as a vault, flipped behind him. Then she began to make hand signs as the strings reversed and began to head towards her in double time, making their movements seem normal under the time changing powers of the Tsubasagan. Nanashi hissed a curse and ground out, "Tanjo ni Nemuru no Jutsu!"

Hiro shot in the air, and she jumped upwards, just above him. Then, she shouted, "Ichitorii: Yuri! Kai!"

Blue chakra roared to life around her hands, hissing and crackling with raw energy. Nanashi pushed downwards, slamming her palms into Hiro's stomach. He immediately coughed up blood as he went hurtling downwards, back towards the ground. Nanashi quickly sent chakra to her eyes and amped up her Tsubasagan, allowing her to move at a faster speed than normal. She met the floor before Hiro did and pushed her hands into his back. Nanashi then growled, "Nitorii: Kanejon, Kai!"

The chakra around her hands flared up to her arms and turned a darker shade of blue: she pushed upwards and Hiro flew back into the air. Nanashi met him at the side, and her foot slammed into the side of his head. He shot through tables of beakers and chemicals and hit the wall with a thud. Nanashi tapped back down on the ground, her chest heaving with effort. As she was about to turn, she heard a weak cough from across the room. She stopped and noticed Hiro struggle to his feet. He smirked, "I...caught you again."

Suddenly Nanashi's arm went limp. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming as Hiro tugged lightly on the chakra string now wrapped around her elbow, "I just snapped the joint of your elbow in half. That will heal...but not before you die. I never had the pleasure of killing you, Nanashi-chan, and now I get to partake in that."

He slowly stepped towards her; Nanashi's head was down, her thick blonde bangs covering her expression. As Hiro finally reached her and pulled a kunai with a trembling hand, she grabbed his wrist with her good arm, "Sorry, Nekozawa...but not today. I hope you rot in hell." Nanashi ground out at him, "Santorii: Sentai...Kai!"

Chakra flared out from her and shot into Hiro's system through the open wounds she had created: he gasped as his system was overloaded by the now blood red chakra. Hiro slumped in her grip and she let go, so he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Nanashi coughed up blood as the chakra flared one last time, then died down along with the Tsubasagan. She held her arm and spat, "That was for my brother...you son of a bitch."

With that said, she limped over to the wall and sat, leaning against the cold surface. Panting heavily, she thought, _'I'm done for now...you better save her, Naruto...' _, before her eyelids fluttered shut.

--

Meanwhile, Naruto, Kuroi and Sakura had reached the small secret door that lead to Byakko's room. Kuroi scribbled, "_This is it...this is where they are..."_

Naruto growled. Sakura's eyes widened as she immediately realized what was going on, "Naruto, no! Don't--!"

He looked back at her slowly, his eyes demonic red. Then, he turned forward and kicked open the door.

The first thing Naruto saw was someone imitating him and _on top of Hinata._ He growled as claws began to form over his nails, then took a look at Hinata. He saw the blackened skin around her stomach, and snarled "Stop right there you scumbag!"

The imitation Naruto turned around and immediately reformed into a man. He looked at Naruto through yellow eyes, "...The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki...finally you arrive. Must you spoil my fun?"

Naruto's last shred of his normal personality snapped. He roared, "You hurt Hinata! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

--

**Yes, I realize this chapter ends at the same place as the last one. It was a flashback chapter: it seemed appropriate. **

**Is Nanashi dead?! And what about Sasuke's fight with Sasuke?! You'll have to wait and see...(cue evil laughter)**

**Japanese:**

**Yaseineko Yoshiki: Chakra Doriru--**Wildcat Style: Chakra Drill!

**Seitai no Jutsu: **Bone Control Jutsu

**Tanjo ni Nemuru no Jutsu: **Birth By Sleep Technique

**Ichitorii: Yuri, KAI!- **First Gate: Lily, Release! (In 'flower language' a lily is the Chinese emblem for mother)

**Nitorii: Kanejon, KAI!: **Second Gate: Carnation, Release! ( A carnation represents 'lost love'. She worked this into her jutsu after Arashi "died")

**Santorii: Sentai, KAI!" **Third Gate: Moss, Release! (Moss--Mother's love. Again, it suited Nanashi and Naruto. Nyaww. X3)

**Next time on Family...**

_**Byakko hissed as he narrowly dodged a slice from Naruto's claws: he thought, 'There's only one way I'm going to beat him...I'm going to have to kill him.' He made a sequence of rapid hand signs and shouted, "Amechi no Jutsu!"**_

_**--**_

**See you all next time! Mwahahahaha! XD **

**AMC**


	10. Sadness and Sorrow

Family

AngolMoaChan

**(deep breath) I'm scared to write this chapter...I've never written Kyuubi Naruto before...(gulp)**

**Hopefully, it's okay. BTW, guys, I have a story recommendation for you! My good friend **_**HaraStrife **_**is writing a fic with Nanashi in it, before Naruto is born. It's a spinoff from this story, so you guys should go read it! (You're welcome, Hara. XD) I have also totally hijacked that story and written a special oneshot for it. The only place to find it is in her story:D**

**Naruto is not mine...if it were, they would play 'Michi -To You All-', the new Shippuden ending all the time. XDDD I Iove how Hinata bows to Naruto, it's so CUTE! (squeals, then skitters away)**

**--**

'_How will I recognize the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, Itachi?'_

_'He's the one that screams and charges first'_

_--_

Naruto charged at Byakko with a feral roar, down on all fours as he sprung for the Nekozawa's neck. Byakko deftly dodged, only to have Naruto hit him in the stomach and cause him to fly through the wall into the courtyard. He coughed, and started to get up slowly, then quickly turned that into a backwards handspring as Naruto slashed out at him again.

He watched the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's eyes--they were red and fiery, filled with passion, anger, _hate._ A smirk began to grow on Byakko's face as he dodged several more slashes from Naruto's sharp claws. As he doubled backwards, he began to laugh maniacally, "Ha ha ha! Yes! That's right, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, get mad! That's what I like to see!"

At this point, Naruto was slowly regaining his conscious thought: he was using the techniques that Jiraiya had taught him to control the rage of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

As he tussled with Kyuubi for control of his own body, the kitsune snapped, "_**What the hell do you think you're doing?"**_

_"Trying to kick this guy's ass! He hurt Hinata!"_

_**"You don't think I want him dead too?!"**_

Naruto thought about that for a brief second--no time to think, hello, he was in the middle of a fight!--, "_Fine then, you bastard fox. We're gonna have to work together on this, understand?'_

The fox seemed wounded by this comment: it seems Naruto had stabbed his dignity, or what little he had of it, "_**...Lectured by a brat...tch...fine!"**_

Naruto leapt backwards from Byakko, who seemed startled by the sudden stop in the furious fight. The Nekozawa smirked, and began to laugh again, "Oh, what's wrong, little Naru-chan? You giving up?"

Naruto looked up slowly, his eyes a slight purplish color, "...No. I just want to be conscious to watch you die."

He charged forward and quickly engaged Byakko in a round of taijutsu. Naruto kicked upwards, and Byakko dodged, then grabbed his ankle and flipped him over. He hit the ground with one hand and sprung back up, throwing a punch to Byakko's nose. As he dodged, Naruto brought up his other hand and charged it with chakra, before hitting him in the forehead and sending him reeling backwards.

**--flashback no jutsu--**

"Now, Naru-chan, watch closely." Nanashi grinned and put a finger to her lips, then tapped Arashi's shoulder with one hand, while quietly building up chakra in the other, "Arashi?"

He turned around, "What is--" Arashi was promptly cut off as her palm hit him directly in the center of the forehead, "GAH!"

She laughed as he shot backwards into a bush, "Naru-chan, this is an excellent technique for repelling enemies when you have no other options. It's quick, easy, and looks very embarrassing to the victim. Right love?"

Arashi frowned and stood up while Naruto rolled on the ground, laughing his head off, "...Apparently..."

--**endflashback--**

He smirked as Byakko flew backwards, then picked himself up slowly, "What the hell was that!?"

"That, was fun." Naruto charged him again, this time putting his two fingers together in his signature move, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Three clones poofed on either side of him, and Byakko smirked, "There's no way you'll hit me with a couple of clones."

"That's what you think!" he hissed, then thrust out his hand. One clone immediately began to move his hands around the small ball forming in his palm, while the other one seemingly disappeared.

Byakko growled, "Enough games! I'm obviously gonna have to kill you. Amechi no ju--"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence as he realized something was holding him from behind. The third clone had a tight grip on his torso, preventing him from even making handsigns. Naruto smirked, and raced at Byakko one last time, shouting as time seemed to stop, "RASENGAN!"

The ball of purple, mixed chakra slammed into Byakko's chest: the resonation exploded like a thunderclap and left a crater where he had stood. Byakko flew backwards in the dirt, and as he hit the ground, coughed blood everywhere. Slowly, Naruto dropped his hands, and the two clones disappeared. He sighed as Kyuubi's guttural growl resonated in his head, _**He's dead, kid. There's no way he survived.**_

_Good. _Naruto carefully stepped towards Byakko, then noticed Sakura checking his pulse, "He's gone, Naruto! You did it!"

He grinned tiredly, "Yes, I know, I'm awesome, but...HINA-CHAN!" Naruto raced back into the decimated room, and saw his Hinata lying on the bed. He sat next to her and tears pricked his now completely blue eyes, "Hina-chan, no, you can't be..."

Suddenly, there was a soft, almost giggly voice, "Nnn...Naruto-kun...hehe...stop that..."

He blinked and nearly cried out with relief: she was asleep, and nothing more. Naruto stroked her hair gently, then picked her up bridal style in his arms, careful not to hurt her. He blinked as he peeled the makeshift bandages away from her cheeks and saw the marks.

Three whiskers on each side of her cheeks.

--

Meanwhile, Sasuke's fight with Asuka was coming to a climax. Her drill was still sending out those waves of air: his Sharingan picked them up in a ten-foot radius of her. There was only one way to get to this girl, one way, and it was gonna hurt like hell. He took a deep breath and made a sequence of handsigns, then held his palm downwards. The sound of chirping birds began to build as chakra sparked around his hand: Asuka smirked, "Good luck getting that past the razors. I doubt you'll succeed."

"Wrong again, Nekozawa." Sasuke charged her, holding his arm. As he got within the range, he jumped upwards, so he was in a headfirst dive. Asuka's eyes widened as she quickly calculated: there was no way in hell she was going to be able to defend herself unless she--

The Chidori shot through her chest, and she gasped, blood splattering out of her mouth and staining Sasuke's arm crimson. She collapsed to the ground and looked up at Sasuke through half lidded eyes, "...How'd you..."

Sasuke looked down on her with cold eyes, "By jumping headfirst into the aegis, I was able to avoid the worst of the blows. Still hurt like hell"

"...You put up...a hell...of a fight..." Asuka smiled; a real smile, not a smirk, and whispered, "...Thank you..." as her eyes slowly slid shut.

He sighed, "Now...where did dobe and Sakura-chan go off to..." before disappearing in a puff of smoke

--

Naruto met up with Arashi on the way down from the hallway, "Tou-san?"

He looked over at his son, and Naruto saw the fear in his blue eyes, "Naruto, come on. We have to make sure your mother is alright."

He followed Arashi, "What happened, tou-san?"

"We ran into Hiro...she made us leave, Naruto. I have no idea what happened to her."

Naruto nodded wordlessly, trying to ignore the 'what if's' racing through his mind. The two reached the room where Arashi had left her and he threw open the door, "Kaa-san?"

"No, down here!" Arashi led him down the secret entrance and gasped as he saw Nanashi slumped against a wall, her arm bent nearly backwards. She was sitting in a pool of blood, presumably her own, and her eyes were closed. He skidded to a halt and slid to his knees at her side, "Nanashi?!"

He was met with no answer. Horrorstricken, Arashi numbly pulled her close to him and placed a hand on her neck, feeling for her pulse. He waited, and waited, and was about to pull his fingers away when he heard it.

_B-bmp._

It was weak: but it was there: her heart was beating, albeit slowly. The color that had drained out of his cheeks was slowly returning as he hugged her tightly and whispered, "It's okay, we're gonna get you treatment, you're gonna be fine, I promise..."

Sakura came rushing down the stairs, her black gloves already stripped aside. Arashi quickly moved out of her way and she commanded, "Alright, Arashi-sama, back off. This isn't gonna be pretty."

He did so obediently. Sakura ripped open Nanashi's shirt and placed both of her hands over Nanashi's heart, "Chiyute no Jutsu!"

A warm green glow grew around Sakura's hands as she gently pressed downward. A bead of sweat dripped down her cheek, and she pushed harder, "Breathe, dammit..."

Suddenly, Nanashi took a gasping breath, her back arching off the ground. Sakura pressed harder, "Almost there, almost there...come on Nanashi-sama, don't give up...Arashi-sama, how's her pulse?"

Arashi immediately bent downwards and took her pulse, "Better than before. A little irregular..."

"Alright, thanks." she nodded, and gently pushed more of the healing chakra into her system. Then, she pulled away, and wiped sweat off her forehead.

"...Is she...?!"

"Ugh..." Arashi gasped at the weak voice: Nanashi's eyelids had fluttered open. She looked into his eyes and noticed the stray tear running down his cheek. Nanashi gave him a weak smile, "Ha ha...looks like I made the great-and powerful Yondaime cry..."

He reached down and squeezed her hand, "...Don't ever let me allow you to fight some S-class without me nearby, okay?"

She nodded weakly, "...Okay..."

"Good..." Arashi gently pulled her into his arms and stood up, "I vote we get out of here."

"I agree!" Naruto huffed, "Let's go."

"Obito and Kakashi went back with a message for Tsunade, I believe...that just leaves Sasuke, who is..."

"Right here" there was a puff of smoke and Sasuke appeared beside Sakura, "So, I'm assuming the rest of these Nekozawa clowns were taken care of?"

"Yeah, except..." Naruto tilted his head downwards. Kuroi was still clinging to his pant leg, looking away in shame.

"Don't worry about her." Sakura smiled, "She helped us, remember? Now, let's get out of here before I run out of chakra."

"Yes, lets" the rest of the group agreed, and they disappeared into the cool evening light.

--

Dawn was streaming into Hinata's eyes as she slowly blinked awake and took in her surroundings. She was in a white hospital room, with an IV in her arm, and bandages all around her stomach. Hinata looked around, and then noticed Naruto. He was fast asleep, his head in her lap, both hands tightly clutching the key Arashi had given him. She smiled and reached out to stroke his hair gently, "Naruto-kun...?"

"Waa!" he startled awake, then blinked a couple times to register where he was. The second he figured it out, or at least remembered, he gasped, "Hina-chan! You're okay! Man, I was so worried, I thought you were dead, and then that Byakko guy--" 

She giggled quietly, "I'm okay, Naruto-kun...how's everyone else?"

Naruto sighed, "Pretty good...except for Kaa-san...she got beaten up pretty badly..." 

"What the hell are you talking about, Naru-chan? I'm fine"

He whirled around, then noticed Nanashi in the doorway. She was leaning on Arashi, using him as support, "Kaa-san!"

"Tsunade-baachan is coming in a few minutes. Just thought I'd warn you" Nanashi smiled.

Arashi nodded, "Right. Now come on Nanashi. You said this was all you would do."

"But...but..." 

He pulled her gently, "Come on"

"Noo! Not fair!"

Naruto laughed quietly as he heard his mother's whines from all the way down the hall until they faded into nothing. He turned back to Hinata and squeezed her hand, "You look like me now, Hina-chan!"

She blinked, "What do you mean, Naruto-kun?"

He grabbed a hand mirror off of a side table and held it up for her. Hinata inspected her expression and gasped as she saw the whisker marks, placed in the exact same place as Naruto's, "Oh my..."

"Tsunade-baachan said she could probably take away the scars, but she said to ask you about it first..."

Hinata smiled, "...I think I'd like to stay like this. I kind of like it."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Tsunade entered, "Alright, lovebird, get out of here. I've gotta have a serious conversation with Hinata-chan."

"Alright..." he kissed Hinata' s forehead, earning him a soft squeak and a blush. Then he got up, hanging his head and giving Tsunade the Ultimate Uzumaki Puppy Eyes Face, "I wanna..."

"No, Naruto. Get out of here, or I'm not telling you your news."

"Ne? News? For me? Awesome! See you in a few, Hina-chan!" he winked at her and shut the door.

--

**(sobsob)**

**I happened to be listening to "Sadness and Sorrow" during Nanashi's supposed death. I cried. (such a sap. XD)**

**Speaking of which, I decided to let her live...I wasn't going to originally. However, I got enough reviews, that I figured, eh, what the hell, she can live. It doesn't screw with the plot line I've got going.**

**What do you guys think of Hina-chan with whiskers? I thought it would be cute on her, plus it would be kind of ironic, that she and Nanashi both got their whiskers in the same way. XDDDDD Dammit, must not annotate! RESIST! **

**Sooo...next time on Family...**

_**Hiashi Hyuga frowned at Naruto and he gulped.**_

_**Getting promoted, easy. Falling in love with Hinata, easy. But...getting Hiashi's permission to marry her? Not so easy.**_

_**--**_


	11. News

Family

AngolMoaChan

**Hello all! I've had this little idea floating around in my head for a while now. Time to let Mr. Plot Bunny out of his cage:D**

**Naruto does not belong to me. If it did, they would actually use Nanashi in the story. XDDDDD **

**(She is very fun to write. X3)**

**--**

Tsunade sat by Hinata's bedside and asked "…Hinata, what happened?"

She sighed and slowly began to recall the whole story, clutching the sheets tightly with one hand. As she finished, Hinata gave Tsunade a weak smile, "…Your lessons in the medic books on cauterization were really helpful…"

She laughed and gently lifted the fabric of the hospital gown Hinata was wearing so she could see the marks, "I could tell. You did a fantastic job on this. And you were conscious the whole time?"

Hinata nodded, "Y-yes"

Tsunade smiled and ruffled her hair, "Aww, I'm proud of you, Hinata. That took some serious guts."

She blushed. "Oh, um, th-thank you Tsunade-sama…"

"…However, you know those marks will never go away. The burns are far too serious, so you'll have a scar there for the rest of your life."

Hinata nodded and sighed, "Yes…I understand, Tsunade-sama…"

"Good. Speaking of which, do you want me to teach you some type of genjutsu to cover those whisker marks?"

She shook her head, "No…. I want to keep them."

Tsunade seemed slightly taken aback by this, "…Okay. Well, guess I've gotta tell Naru-chan his news…I'll be back in a few"

"His news?"

She winked, "You'll see, I promise!"

--

Naruto was sitting on a chair outside when he heard Tsunade enter the room, "Tsunade-baachan!"

"…Call me that again and I'm not giving you this." She held up a gold embroidered scroll, "It's important."

"Oh…r-right…sorry, Tsunade-ba...I mean sama!"

"Close enough…here you go, Naruto" Tsunade tossed him the scroll and began to walk away, a small smile on her face.

Naruto hurriedly unrolled the scroll and began to scan the contents, his blue eyes growing wider and wider with each word…

_Naruto Uzumaki_

_We are pleased to inform you that, as of today, you have been chosen to be next in line for the position of Hokage._

Naruto didn't even bother to finish the letter. He threw the scroll in the air and jumped, pumping his fist joyfully, "I DID IT! I DID IT!"

He blinked as he realized, "Gotta tell Kaa-san and Tou-san and Hina-chan! WAA! HINA-CHAN, HINA-CHAN!"

As Naruto banged open the door, Hinata looked up, slightly startled, "What is it, Naruto-kun?"

He grinned and bounced over to her, then took both of her hands into his own, "Hina-chan, I got…I GOT PROMOTED! I'M GONNA BE HOKAGE!"

Hinata's eyes widened in shock as she looked up at him slowly, meeting his sparkling blue eyes, "…Naruto-kun, that's fantastic!"

He quickly hugged her, being extra careful of her wounds, then kissed her cheek, "I know, I know! I gotta go tell tou-san and kaa-san!"

She giggled as he raced out of the room and called after him, "Congratulations, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto leapt down the hallway and nearly crashed into several nurses. He reached the room labeled "Uzumaki, Nanashi" and raced inside, "KAA-SAN! Tou…"

Arashi put a finger to his lips and pointed to Nanashi, who was sound asleep. He stood up and approached Naruto, then whispered, "What is it, Naruto? Can it wait?"

"No, definitely not!"

"Alright, alright…come on, we'll go get ramen." Arashi sighed and together, the two men walked out of the hospital

A few minutes later, Naruto grinned at the chefs, "Miso-and-pork ramen super sized!"

"Coming right up, Naru-chan!"

"So, Naruto, you had news to tell me? I have something to tell you too."

Naruto grinned proudly and pointed to himself, "Tsunade-baachan selected me as her successor! I'm gonna be Hokage!"

A proud smile crossed Arashi's face; he ruffled Naruto's hair, "Just like my son should be, eh?"

He nodded as the bowl of ramen appeared in front of him. Cracking open his chopsticks, he began to eat (shovel is more like it) the ramen after a gleeful, "Itadakimasu!"

"As for my news..." He rested his chin on his hands, unable to keep a goofy grin from spreading across his cheeks, "Naruto, your mother's pregnant."

Naruto spewed ramen everywhere: he coughed and pounded on his chest, then looked at Arashi, a noodle still hanging from his mouth, "...WHAT?!"

"Hehe, well...I _was _gone for seventeen years. What do you expect, us to stay away from each other?"

"...So didn't need to know that..."

"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, it's the truth." he smiled, "We just found out...thank Kami the baby wasn't harmed during her fight with Hiro."

"Right…"

"Speaking of which…" Arashi stood up, and quickly paid for both of their bowls of ramen, "I better go back and check on her. I'll see you in a little while Naru-chan." 

"Okay…bye tou-san!" he waved half-heartedly as Arashi left in a puff of smoke. Naruto stared into his bowl of ramen pensively when he heard Kyuubi rumble almost uneasily,

'_**Kid…we need to talk.'**_

'_Uh…sure. What about?'_

…' The great fox paused for a moment, gathering the choice words for such a situation, "…_**Kid, that Nekozawa boy…he said some things to you while I was in control'**_

'_Like what?'_

_**Well…he mentioned something about the vixen. **_

Naruto gagged on his ramen for the second time that day. _THE WHAT?!_

Kyuubi sighed. Idiot humans. _**About your…oh what's the human term...bah. The Hyuga?'**_

_Oh!_' he nodded slightly, _Got it. What about her?_

The kitsune took a deep breath as he began to retell the story… 

-**flashbacknojutsu-**

"So, so, Naru-chan? You wanna know what I did to your girlfriend, huh?" Byakko taunted, placing both hands on his hips.

Kyuubi-possessed Naruto's only answer was a growl as he attacked Byakko furiously, although the comment had piqued the kitsune's interest. Byakko smirked, "You see, I had my way with her and pretended I was you…she has a bruise right on her inner thigh, you'll see!"

--

As Kyuubi told this story, Naruto's eyes grew wider and wider with horror, before he slammed down his fists on the table and left the restaurant, tossing his money on the counter. As he ran towards the hospital, he heard Kyuubi rumble once more, "_**Stop. You know the enemy could have been lying. I bet he was, in fact.'**_

'_Still! I have to check!' _ Naruto raced into the room labeled 'Hyuga Hinata' and shut the door. He entered and saw Hinata sleeping, clutching tightly to the blankets. Sighing with relief, Naruto slumped down in the chair by her bedside, watching the steady rise and fall of her breathing. Suddenly, she began to murmur in her sleep, "No…please…stop…"

His head snapped up immediately at the sound of woe in his girlfriend's voice: the whimper of fear sent realization through his heart like a thunderbolt. Naruto watched as her breathing came a bit more labored, and suddenly, slowed down again as she rolled over, the bottom of her hospital gown slipping upwards with the movements. _No, no way…gotta check and see if that Byakko bastard was…_

Bingo. He saw it, a purplish brown mark, a _bruise. _Right where Byakko said it would be. Horrified, tears came to his eyes and he shook her shoulder, "Hina-chan!"

She started awake, "Naruto-kun…?"

Naruto slumped to the ground, his shoulders shaking. Hinata eased her way out of the hospital bed and knelt in front of him, waiting for a reaction. Suddenly, he began to laugh dryly, "Ha ha…I was too late…I don't believe it…"

"Is something wrong, Naru--"

Hinata was abruptly cut off as he threw his arms around her and pulled her close, carefully avoiding her wounds. His apology came out in a tumbled rush of words, as the tears fell thick and fast from his eyes, "Hina-chan, I'm so sorry, I should've came sooner, I wasn't in time…" 

"Naruto-kun…what are you talking about?"

"He…that bruise…did he…" his voice dropped to a dry whisper, "…do anything to you?"

Hinata blinked as she comprehended what he said. She thought about that Byakko man…and it immediately clicked. Pulling Naruto close, she played with his spiky hair, "Naruto-kun. I'm fine…you showed up just in time, remember?"

He looked up at her slowly, his blue eyes filled with anguish. Something tugged at her heartstrings and her motherly instincts kicked in as she hugged him, "Nothing, and I mean _nothing_ like that happened. You were my savior, Naruto-kun. If you didn't show up when you did…well, I don't want to think about what happened."

"But…"

"No buts" Hinata replied softly, "That bruise is from when I was training by myself. I promise. Alright?"

Naruto nodded woefully, then hung his head, "…I'm…I'm sorry, Hina-chan…I shouldn't have…"

She interrupted him, "Naruto-kun, you have no need to apologize."

"Alright…"

After a while, the sun began to set behind the clouds and the sky was sprayed an inky black. Naruto was watching Hinata sleep: about an hour ago, her strength had died out, and she was out like a light. He reached over to brush his thumb over the whisker marks on her cheeks, then stopped as she shivered with cold. Naruto tilted his head in confusion: she was covered with all the blankets, and his jacket…how could he help any more?

A light bulb may as well have gone off over Naruto's head. He glanced back at the door, then at Hinata, then at the door again. Not a single person was there. Slowly, he lifted up the blankets of the fairly large hospital bed and slid underneath the blankets, then put one arm around her cautiously. She snuggled into the touch, murmuring something inaudible before putting her head on his arm. He grinned to himself and hugged her close, and within moments, was out like a light.

--

…And that was how Hiashi Hyuga found them the next morning.

The loud crack signifying the door handle being snapped off of the door echoed through the hallway, and Arashi was the first to hear it from his rather comfortable spot outside of Nanashi's room. He stretched like a cat and calmly loped down the hallway, when he saw his son go shooting down past him. Arashi grabbed his collar and Naruto yanked backwards, earning a world-class case of whiplash. He groaned and rubbed his neck, "Hey! Lemme go, tou-san!"

"What happened?"

Hiashi came stomping down the hallway, a kunai in one hand, and a look of death in his pale eyes. He noticed Arashi and hissed, "Out of the way, Uzumaki. I'm going to kill your son."

"…No, I don't think I'll let you do that. Tell me what happened, one of you." Arashi paused midsentence, then dropped Naruto and headed down towards Hinata's room, "Scratch that, I'll ask Hinata-san. She'll tell me, and it won't be over exaggerated. Naruto, come with me."

Naruto followed him obediently, shivering as Hiashi's Hyuga-Glare-Of-Death bored into his back like a thousand daggers, "…Tou-san…"

"Ah, ah, ah. I want to hear it from Hinata." He opened the door to her room and asked, "Hinata-san?"

She looked at Arashi, keeping her head down and only moving her eyes, "Y-yes, Arashi-sensei?"

"What happened?"

"Um, well…I w-was…" Hinata blushed furious red and began to tap her fingertips together, "f—feverish yesterday…a-and I was c-cold so…"

Naruto interrupted, "So I wanted to help warm her up, and after all, all shinobi are taught the best way to keep warm is body heat!"

Arashi was completely silent as he put a hand to his forehead. He peered out between two fingers, "…Naruto. _Please _don't tell me you two…"

Both Naruto and Hinata turned a fabulous shade of red and squeaked, or shouted in Naruto's case, "No! It wasn't that!"

He breathed a short sigh of relief. One thing he did not need was a pair of hormonal teenagers ( much less with a pregnant and violence-prone wife), "Thank goodness. What did you do then?"

"I just…you know, put my arms around her and stuff!" Naruto waved his arms around, "It was nothing bad!"

"I see…" Arashi sat and pondered this for a moment. There was really no reason for punishment, after all. Naruto's innocence—possibly stupidity—prevented them from doing anything else anyways, "Alright. I'll go talk to Hiashi."

"So…we're not in trouble, tou-san?"

"No, of course not." He smiled cheerfully, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I know a Hyuga who needs an icicle pulled out of his ass."

With that said, Arashi exited the room, leaving Naruto and Hinata staring in awe. He walked down the hallway and met up with Hiashi midway, "Ah, Hiashi. We should have a talk. Father to father."

He glared at Arashi, then frowned, "Fine."

"Great!" he grinned cheerfully, "Now then, that incident was completely innocent. My son…well, to put this nicely, he's not renowned for his intelligence. He was trying to help."

"I doubt that." Hiashi snorted, "Knowing his mother…"

Arashi interrupted him. His death glare matched Hiashi's and surpassed it, giving even the stoic Hyuga shivers, "You _will not _insult Nanashi in my presence, do you understand?"

He nodded, "Aa."

Arashi sighed, "I see why Nanashi dislikes you so much. I'm done talking to you. Don't you even _think _about sending anyone for Hinata. She is under my care for now, do you understand?"

There was a nod. Arashi turned on his heel, "Good. Maybe I will be seeing you, Hiashi."

The Hyuga head didn't respond: he just stalked away, a furious look on his face. Breathing a sigh of relief, he returned to Hinata's room, "Naruto? Hinata?"

"Yes sensei?"

"Yes otou-san?"

A small smirk crossed Arashi's handsome features, "…If Hiashi's ever around, be sure you act just like that. Don't worry about holding off or whatever because he's there. Understand?"

They both nodded, "Um…yes?"

"Good. Well, I'm off." He turned on his heel, then stopped, "Oh. Hinata, if you're feeling up to it, Tsunade gave both you and Nanashi permission to head back home." 

"H…Home?"

"I mean with us, of course."

"Oh! A-alright!" she smiled, "Th-thank you, Arashi-sensei!"

He grinned, "No problem. Naruto, think about proposing to her sometime soon, kay?"

And with that said, he left, leaving Naruto spluttering like a hooked fish.

--

**This chapter has been rewritten a kajillion times. XDDD I decided to hold off on Naruto asking permission—which will hopefully come up next chapter. Naru-chan's gonna have a little brother or sister! Awwww! (giggles)**

**And Cameo-chan, I put that 'icicle up his ass' line in there just for you! 8D You mentioned it and I couldn't resist…guys, BTW, I feel bad, but the next chapter may be a **_**teeny **_**bit late. I'm going to Otakon in…let's see…today is…the fifteenth, so I'm going in five days. (WOOT! Anyone else going? I'll be cosplaying as Naruko and will have a sign that says "Will Yaoi for Yondaime" XDDDD) After that, my birthday is on the 27****th****, so I am very very VERY busy! XD I'll try to update though, just for you guys**

**Two more notes. GO READ HARASTRIFE's STORY DAMMIT! XDDD It's based on this! You'd like it, I swear! XD**

**Note Number two- I'm still looking for people to write fic(s) about Nanashi. One person has already said yes, but more would be great! You'll get a gift fic, or maybe some fan art in return:D See more details in my profile. **

**Okay, I'm done. I'm not gonna put a preview…cause well, technically the one for the chapter 10 was supposed to be for chapter 11…XDDDDDD I wasn't paying attention and I switched them. **


	12. Growing Up FINAL

Family

AngolMoaChan

…**Well, as some of you all might have noticed, I deleted the last chapter and replaced it with this. (I also went back and edited the first chapter--thank you for you suggestions, everyone) I have decided not to write that story arc...this is the last real chapter. Sorry everyone:D As for a sequel...well, you'll just have to wait and find out :3**

**I do not, for the final time, own Naruto. If I did, Hidan would be teaching religious studies and Yondaime would teach health. (wolf whistle) XD**

**--**

Three months had passed since the defeat of the Nekozawa clan. Konoha was peaceful again, and the Uzumaki clan was restored to it's former glory. Naruto stretched as he strolled down the main street, his arm slung casually over Hinata's shoulders. He smiled down at her, "Ne, Hina-chan? This is great."

She tilted her head in confusion--somewhere in Naruto's head, he was giggling _Aww, she's so cute!_ --and asked, "What do you mean, Naruto-kun?"

"Well..." he started to count off on his fingers, "I have parents, and apparently am going to have a sibling, I am dating the prettiest girl in Konoha, and I'm getting called up to Tsunade-baachan's office today, which might mean that she's stepping down!"

Hinata blushed as he grinned brightly at her, totally oblivious to the small group of fangirls across the way. With a sigh, she smiled at him, "I'm glad you're happy, Naruto-kun"

For a moment, he babbled about being Hokage, and Hinata took the chance to look at his face. She had lots of close encounters with his once boyish-face, lots of them that made her head spin and her heart race a million miles an hour, even though they had been together for nearly four months, but still...her eyes wandered over his face, how the baby fat had just melted off and left this perfect specimen of man--

"Hina-chan? Hellooo?"

She jumped, and immediately turned a fabulous shade of red, "Oh! S-sorry..."

"Ehh, no problem" he scratched the back of his head, "I wouldn't wanna listen to me babble all the time either"

Hinata giggled and clung to his arm, "No, I don't mind, Naruto-kun. It's okay with me."

"Whatever you say, Hinata-chan." He shrugged, then smiled at her, "Alright, we better get going."

"Y-yes"

-

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S A CATCH?!"

The roar of fury could have been heard from miles away, and anyone within a five-meter radius of Tsunade's office immediately winced. Tsunade growled at Naruto, who still looked absolutely horrified, "Sit down and shut up!"

He sat down obediently and was about to yell something again when Hinata put her hand on his shoulder and asked, "What is the catch, Tsunade-sama?"

She smiled immediately, "It's really no big deal. Shizune, could you bring her in for me?"

Shizune nodded and disappeared from the office, Tonton at her heels. Naruto watched impatiently:"Tsunade-baachan! What is it?!"

"Call me that again and you won't find out" Tsunade growled.

He immediately yelped, "Yes ma'am!"

Suddenly the door opened, and Shizune returned, holding someone's small hand. She gently tugged the person inside the office. Naruto and Hinata both gasped in recognition, although it took them both a minute to recognize her.

The girl's once matted and tangled black hair was neatly combed out so it fell to her shoulders, and her ripped kimono was replaced by a simple yukata. Naruto wouldn't have recognized her, in fact, if it weren't for the thick black swirls meandering over her right eye. He gasped, "Kuroi Nekozawa?!"

Kuroi looked up and saw Naruto, then ran towards him and hugged his leg. He blinked, confused, and Tsunade smiled, "She, my dear Naruto, is the catch. If you want to be Hokage so badly, you have to take care of Kuroi-chan here. Understood?"

"But-but--!"

"At your next birthday, you will be old enough to adopt, and therefore, Kuroi will become your daughter. It'll teach you some responsibility. And besides…" she smirked as Kuroi clung to Naruto's pant leg, "She seems to have taken a liking to you"

Naruto immediately blushed as he gently pulled Kuroi away from his leg, "Yeah, yeah, whatever…well, I, Naruto Uzumaki, the greatest shinobi in all of Konoha, should be able to handle a little girl."

"Ah, ah, but that's where my other catch comes in. This one is more like a bet, you see." Tsunade's smile grew into a very evil smirk, "Kuroi-chan here? She's a mute. Hasn't said a word since she came to Konoha. We think she can speak, but she's too traumatized from what she went through with her brother. So, Naruto. I propose a bet. If you can get Kuroi to speak by your next birthday, which is four months from now, then I will give you my job, and all the sake from my stash."

Naruto grinned, "They don't call you the legendary sucker for nothing baa-chan! I accept."

He got up and squeezed Hinata's hand, "Let's go, Hina-chan! We have to tell otou-san and kaa-san about this!"

She nodded and waved to Tsunade over her shoulder as Naruto practically ran out of the room, tugging her along, "Thank you Tsunade-sama!"

"No problem." she waved, then sat back in her chair, "Hey Shizune."

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?"

"I'm pretty sure this is gonna be one of my last times sitting in this chair" she smiled

Shizune laughed, "I think so too."

--

"Kaa-saaaan! Tou-saaan!"

Arashi was the first to hear Naruto yell: he hurried downstairs, and half whispered, "Your mother's asleep, Naruto"

"Oh..." he scratched his cheek, "Sorry about that, I guess. Anyway, look!"

Naruto gently pushed Kuroi forward: she squeaked and hid back behind Naruto's leg, "Is that the girl from...?"

He nodded, "Yup. She's Kuroi-chan. Tsunade-baachan said I could be Hokage, but the catch was that I had to take care of her, and I have to get her to start talking again."

Arashi couldn't help but smile. Tsunade was smart, alright. Smarter than Naruto realized, "Okay. So she needs a place to stay, right? Well, we've got plenty of room, you know."

Suddenly, there was a voice from up the stairs, "Hey! No fair discussing things without me!"

"Kaa-san?"

Nanashi came down the stairs, then sat down on the last one, resting a hand on her slowly swelling stomach, "You know, Arashi...the hokage sure can't live with his parents."

"What?" he tilted his head, confused.

"Well...after you left, I bought a little place on the edge of town. It's a fairly hidden location, and it's kind of small but..."

"Kaa-san...what are you getting at?" Naruto asked.

"How would you two--sorry, you three, like to have it? It's no mansion, but it's better than living with your parents, right?"

His eyes widened to the point of saucer plates, "...You're serious."

"Uh-huh."

"..." Naruto was silent for a moment as he contemplated this, then he jumped in the air, "YEEEESS!"

Nanashi smiled as Naruto hugged her tightly, "Thank you so much, kaa-san!"

"It's no problem." she ruffled his hair and dug through her pockets, before retrieving a pair of keys. She tossed them to Hinata and smiled, "Now, Hinata, as your sensei, I am forbidding you to go back to the Hyuga complex, unless it is a dire emergency."

"But..."

"No buts." Nanashi grinned, "You are stuck with Naruto, understand? If he drives you too far up the wall, you can always come here, of course."

Hinata's face lit up: she smiled and bowed politely, "Thank you Nanashi-sensei"

"No problem. You guys should get going"

"Yeah! Come on, Kuroi-chan!" Naruto squeezed the little girls hand, and she followed him, Hinata in tow.

Nanashi smiled as Arashi sat beside her. She rested her head on his shoulder and he asked, slipping an arm around her waist, "Why did you do that, Nanashi?" 

"Hmmm?"

"Buy that house. And give it to Naruto, for that matter."

"Well..." she sighed and leaned into his arms, "I bought that after you...well..."

"Why didn't you just stay here?"

"I couldn't. Everything I did in this house reminded me of you." Nanashi smiled wistfully, then looked up at him, "I gave it to Naru-chan because he needs to learn some responsibility. Having his own home, and having a child to take care of will help mature him."

He nodded, "That makes sense."

"And besides..." she snickered evilly, "I haven't been there in over seven years. It's quite the fixer-upper"

Arashi blinked, then sighed, "You are evil"

"Yeah. I know!"

--

Naruto held the small piece of paper in his hand and read the adress number a couple times. He looked up at the house and his jaw dropped.

It wasn't as big as the house his parents currently lived in, per se, but it was still big by normal comparison, at least as big as that Nekozawa house. He opened the sliding door and immediately coughed, "Jeez...dusty..."

Hinata poked her head in as well, and sneezed quietly, "It's going to take a lot of work to clean this up."

"You're right..." he muttered, then grinned, "But we can do it! It shouldn't be a problem for two great shinobi like us, right? Kuroi can help too!"

She giggled, and Kuroi nodded shyly. Naruto grinned and ran into the small kitchen of the house. He came back out a bit later, armed with various types of cleaning products. Smiling at Hinata, he said, "I'll go work on the kitchen!"

She nodded, "Kuroi and I will work here, I suppose."

"Great! Let's go!"

And that was how the Great Cleaning Escapade began.

Naruto made several Kage Bunshin's and ordered, "Alright! You guys work on the main hallway, you two work on the sitting room over there, and me and this guy will do the kitchen!"

The clones saluted, and ran off to do their assigned work. Naruto grinned and dropped to his knees, scrubbing the white tiled floor and humming to himself.

Several hours passed, and Naruto flopped over, exhausted. The kitchen may as well have sparkled it was so clean, but all of that dirt seemed to have somehow clung to him instead. Naruto stood up and headed into the main hall, which was just as clean, "Wow..."

He saw Hinata who was walking down the hall, carrying a large box filled with linens to take outside. Kuroi was following behind her like a baby chick, her head down as she carried another box of blankets. He smiled and asked, "Can I help you with that?"

Hinata nodded, "That would be wonderful, Naruto-kun"

He took the heavy box, and the three headed outside into the backyw\ard. Naruto blinked, "Huh...time really flies, huh...it's pretty late."

Fireflies were drifting lazily through the air, making curlicues and swirls around the backyard as a cool breeze blew through the trees, ruffling their har as it went. Suddenly, Naruto grinned, "Ah! I have to show you guys something! Wait here!"

Hinata and Kuroi watched as he raced inside. They stared at the house for a moment, and Naruto came fumbling back out, carrying a small box. He raced over to them and sat down on a nearby rock. Hinata looked over curiously as he opened up the box as he pulled out a few matches and, "...Sparklers?"

"Yup! Here Kuroi-chan! Have you ever seen a sparkler before?" she shook her head, and he mock gasped, "How terrible! Well here, the greatest shinobi in Konoha will show you how. See, you just touch this part to the flame, and--"

The sparkler lit alive with bright white sparks, and Kuroi gasped. Naruto handed it to her and grinned, "See? You just wave it around!"

He lit his own and wrote his name with the smoke, "You can write your name, do anything! I bet I can write mine faster than you, Kuroi-chaaan!"

She giggled quietly and played with the sparkler, writing things in the air. Hinata watched, leaning against the doorframe with a soft smile on her face.

Things had really changed since she had met Nanashi and Arashi. Her entire life had been turned around. A lot of great things, and even one terrible thing occured, and she and Naruto had made it through together. She had grown stronger, gotten away from the abuse of her family, and now she and Naruto were together. Hinata rested a hand over her stomach, where she could even feel the thick white burn scars through her shirt.

He had changed.

She had changed.

And yet, essentially, they were still the same. Something internally had changed, something that tugged on her heartstrings and made her want to stand proud by Naruto's side always.

Inside she realized it, although it wasn't quite known to the rest of her yet. Watching Naruto protest childishly that Kuroi had beaten him, she smiled and sat down.

_Now I understand._ Naruto ran over to her and sat beside her, then handed her a sparkler. She took it and kissed him quickly before lighting the sparkler.

_We're growing up._

She watched the white sparks fly and smiled once more, recalling how she had simply been spirited away by this whirling maelstrom of a man. Resting her head on his shoulder, she drew a small heart in the air and then drew a swirl shape.

She was an Uzumaki after all.

--

_"__Watashi tsuiteiku yo_

_Donna tsurai sekai no yami no naka de sae_

_Kitto anata wa kagayaite_

_Koeru mirai no hate_

_Yowasa yue ni tamashii kowasarenu you ni_

_MY WAY kasanaru yo ima_

_Futari ni GOD BLESS…"_

_-_

**That's it.**

**Thank you so much to those of you who have stayed faithful to me through out this entire story, those of you who didn't give up on me even when my poor abused plot bunny desperately needed some Yondaime CPR. XD**

**Special thanks to my lovely beta, Trenchcoatgirl-Kyo. If you get the chance, make sure you thank her.**

**...Okay. Now for the announcement you all are waiting for.**

**YES. Yes, I plan on writing a sequel. It may be a bit slower updating than this one (after all, school will start for me in September...) but it will be there. The name of the story will be Little Wonders.**

**And that's all you get to know for now! The rest of the information...well...(winks)**

**  
That's classified:3**

**Love **

**AMC**


	13. Author's Note

**Family**

AngolMoaChan

**AUTHOR'S NOTEEEEEEE!**

**PLEASE GO BACK AND READ CHAPTER TWELVE. IT HAS CHANGED, AND IS NOW THE END OF THE STORY!**

**Also, I figured some of you may want the translation of the end quote. Here it is.**

**I will follow you.**

**No matter how agonizing the world is, **

**You will shine in even it's darlest corners.**

**My weakness will not shatter my spirit.**

**My way is overlapping with yours, **

**For the two of us...god bless...**

**AMC**


	14. To My Reviewers

To The Kind Reviewer Who Nicely Made Themselves Anonymous and Called Themselves "WHAT THE FUCK."

…

Okay. I have a rebuttal for you.

If you don't like it, don't read it, okay? SHEESH. If you actually READ the story, you may have noticed SHE DID SEARCH FOR HIM. FOR SEVENTEEN YEARS.

Guess what. Nanashi ISN'T you. You have your own opinions. I can see that. But you need to BACK OFF. Seriously. She isn't your character. She's MINE.

That sure is a nice thing to do to your mother, push her in the dirt? Jeez. Look. Nanashi hadn't seen her family in seventeen years. You expect her to just LEAVE?! And not let Naruto off without even a warning, just hug him and say, "I love you!"?!

Yeah. Wrong.

In fact, if you actually read the chapter instead of hate-mailing me, you may have noticed that she WAS crying. Interesting huh? Again. If you read the story, you would notice that she was _expecting to meet up with him_. Key point. And, as you said, she was thrilled at first at. But when Naruto started yelling, she got pissed. She is his mother after all.

She told TSUNADE SHE WAS ALIVE. You see, my dear reviewer, there is this thing called CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Ever heard of it? Doubt it. Because that's what I was doing. Nanashi was sure he would hate her, so she asked Tsunade to tell him when he was old enough to take it.

Secondly, Nanashi meant for everyone to think she was dead. She left the village, and wanted to be invisible to any Konoha-nin. She disguised herself, and went to live off in Takikagure, which is, in fact, pretty much a hole in the ground. Did you even read the story before you sent the god damn review?

Third. Naruto has never had any family. You probably don't know how that feels. You know what? I don't either. But, personally, if I met up with my mother for the first time my entire life, I would be thrilled. Angry, then thrilled.

So. Please. If you wish to continue screaming at me through capslock, then feel free to e-mail me at goaliegirl62420 yahoo . com 

It was nice having such an _intellectual discussion._

Love

AngolMoaChan

To The Rest of My Reviewers,

Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooo much! I love you all! This story has gotten mostly great feedback, save the one, and I am SO GLAD you all enjoyed it. :3

Please feel free to email me with requests, comments, or flame rebuttals anytime at goaliegirl 62420 yahoo . com

Just take out the spaces:3

Love you all!

AngolMoaChan


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